Red Snow
by Aza Marael
Summary: "Hello future student of Hope's Peak Academy! For this year, we've decided to incorporate something special! Students from Sister Academies all over the world were entered into a special raffle for a once in a lifetime chance to vacation at a wintry wonderland!" Who knew this letter would be a death warrant? [SYOC CLOSED]
1. Act 0-0

**Act 0-0  
** _ **The Middle of Snowhere**_

A short, dark-haired girl stared at the letter and accompanying brochure in her hands with a blank expression, blinking once, twice at the papers. The first was a letter, supposedly from the Headmaster of some place called Hope's Peak. The paper was an off-white color, made of an uncommonly used material. The ink personally penned; the letters looping and sweeping across the page. This was all written down accordingly.

 _Hello future student of Hope's Peak Academy!_

 _We wish to welcome you personally to what will undoubtedly be a bright future that we look forward to shaping with you!_

She stopped reading, turning back to the small brown book at her side. She flipped back several pages, finger scanning quickly through the tiny, scrawled shorthand with a practiced motion. It stopped abruptly, brushing gingerly over the sentence again. She sighed, turning back to the letter as the memory returned to her.

That's right. She accepted an invitation to a place called Hope's Peak. It was a famous school that produced highly successful alumni, and you could only attend if the school scouted you themselves. Or something like that.

 _For this year, we've decided to incorporate something special! Students from Sister Academies all over the world were entered into a special raffle for a once in a lifetime chance to vacation at a wintry wonderland!_

 _The exact location is a mystery, but the winning students will be staying at a winter ski lodge on a mountainside known for its scenic views and mild snowfalls. Students will have the leisure of skiing, sledding, ice skating on the property's own lake, swimming in their heated semi-indoor pool, or simply relaxing inside the lodge and enjoying the view! More information is located in the brochure included with this letter._

 _Only_ _ **fourteen students**_ _have the privilege of staying in this deluxe resort. Out of thousands of students entered into the raffle, we're proud to inform you that_ _ **Kasumi Nikki, Ultimate Diary Keeper**_ _has been chosen as a lucky student to spend the next several weeks at the deluxe_ _ **Moon Mountain Winter Lodge!**_

 _Sincerely,_

 _The Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy_

She looked disinterestedly at the brochure, shrugging mentally as she set it aside to read for later. She wanted to read and analyze it from cover to cover later, so it would have to wait until she had the time. First, she had to pack.

* * *

The Lodge really was scenic; it seemed, with the glistening snow and the frozen lake nearby. The first thing one's eyes were drawn to was the grand window that made up the entirety of the main room's south wall where—when one first drove up in the complimentary limousine—you could see the brightly lit interior, and glimpses of the lit fireplace and cozy furniture.

Behind the building, one could see the pool and relax on the deck, and farther off to the right a glistening, frozen lake sat. The entire place was nestled in the mountainside, and with the blanket of snow over its rooftops, looked almost as if it was a part of the mountain itself.

The limo drove up the last stretch of the long road, turning into the Lodge's drive-through. Kasumi climbed out, staring at the doors as her bags were dropped off beside her. After another minute of observation, she shrugged, and picked up her small duffel, stepping through the doors.

Everything went black.

* * *

 **Welcome to the SYOC! ^^ Technically, this is my fourth, if you include Fictionpress, but I look forward to seeing how this will turn out! I'll be putting the rules and the form on my profile as well for ya'll to copy and whatnot.**

 **RULES**

 **1\. No canon talents, please, but I'll take anything else. Try to make it unique.**

 **2\. No Mary Sues or Gary Stus, otherwise I'll ask you to change it. I'm looking for well-developed characters.**

 **3\. You are not required to have a character of Japanese origin.**

 **4\. This is not a first-come, first-serve. I'll be looking for quality over quantity, so the more 3D and unique a character is and the more detailed a form, the more likely I'll accept them.**

 **5\. There are 13 open slots, and I'm going to try to keep gender differentiation balanced. Therefore, there are 7 male spots and 6 female, though that if subject to change if I get any characters who are trans, genderfluid, agender, or otherwise.**

 **6\. I'm going to keep it at one OC a person. And if you've read these, please PM them (unless you're a Guest) with the story title and character name in the Subject. Ex: Red Snow – Kasumi Nikki**

 **7\. Please fill out everything. ^^ If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.**

 _ **UPDATE: The slots for girls are officially filled! Boys and nonbinary/third gender/transgender/etc characters are still welcome!**_

 **FORM**

 **Basics**

 **Name: (First, [Middle if there is one,] Last)**

 **Nickname(s): (Optional)**

 **Age: (14 – 18, though I'm willing to have one character out of range. Please PM me first about this, though.)**

 **Gender: (This includes non-binary genders [Genderfluid, Agender, etc.] Though, if your character is non-binary, please clarify.)**

 **Birthday: (No year, preferably.)**

 **Talent:**

 **Nationality:**

 **Sexuality: (Any sexuality, [Homosexual, Bisexual, Asexual, Aromantic, Demiromantic, etc.] Though, if not homo, bi, ace, or hetero, please clarify.)**

 **Appearance**

 **Height: (Preferably in Feet/Inches)**

 **Weight: (Preferably in pounds)**

 **Skin: (Include any scars, moles, freckles or blemishes, as well as complexion)**

 **Build:**

 **Hair Color/Style:**

 **Eye Color/Shape:**

 **Piercings/Tattoos/Other Features:**

 **Usual Clothes:**

 **Winter Clothes: (They** _ **are**_ **in a ski lodge)**

 **Swimsuit:**

 **Sleepwear:**

 **Accessories:**

 **Personality**

 **Personality: (The more detailed you are, the more accurately I can portray your character)**

 **Likes: (At least 4)**

 **Dislikes: (Same as above)**

 **Strengths:**

 **Weaknesses: (More weaknesses than strengths)**

 **Fears:**

 **Hobbies:**

 **Mental Illnesses?:**

 **Habits and Quirks:**

 **What Kind of People do they Get Along With?:**

 **Don't Get Along With?:**

 **Romance?: (If yes, please include what kind of person you'd prefer, but keep in mind I might not be able to get a completely accurate person)**

 **Speech Mannerisms:**

 **Quotes: (At least 5, and try to add in an intro if you can)**

 **Background**

 **History: (Before the Academy)**

 **Family: (Name, relationship, age and whether or not they're dead, and anything else you think important. This can include people not necessarily blood-related, but important to your character in some way.)**

 **Secrets:**

 **Physical Illnesses?:**

 **Allergies?:**

 **Other Interesting Facts: (Anything else you wanted to add)**

 **Academy/Game Info**

 **Role in Investigations: (Not everyone can be a Kirigiri…)**

 **Role in Trials: (…Or a Hagakure)**

 **Free Time Activities: (Remember, they're in a Ski Lodge, so keep it sensible.)**

 **Reaction to a Corpse:**

 **Reaction to an Execution:**

 **Motive(s) to Kill:**

 **Execution: (I'm not great with coming up with them, so I'd appreciate the ideas.)**

 **Victim/Killer/Survivor?: (Not everyone will be a survivor, so even if you want them to be, please indicate whether or not they'd more likely be a victim or a killer as well.)**

 **How Would They Act as the Culprit?: (Fidgety? Shifty eyes? All the fun stuff.)**

 **Anything You Want to Add:**

* * *

 _ **Here's an example:**_

 **Basics**

 **Name:** Kasumi Nikki

 **Nickname(s):** N/A

 **Age:** 14 years old

 **Gender:** Female

 **Birthday:** 12 February

 **Talent:** Diary Keeper

 **Nationality:** Japanese

 **Sexuality:** Aromantic – without romantic feelings or desires

 **Appearance**

 **Height:** 4'6"

 **Weight:** 105 lbs

 **Skin:** Pale, almost porcelain-like skin without any blemishes. Vertically up her right leg is a scar of the letter T.

 **Build:** Flat-chested, and tiny and petite. Slightly underweight.

 **Hair Color/Style:** Black/long and wavy, reaching down to her chest with haphazard curls. It often falls into her face, and with her pale skin and blank expression, she's often mistaken for a ghost.

 **Eye Color/Shape:** Extremely light blue/large, thickly lidded eyes that are usually half-lidded and emotionless.

 **Piercings/Tattoos/Other Features:** N/A

 **Usual Clothes:** She wears a large white shirt, one sleeve slipped off her right shoulder, the bottom of it reaching down to her mid-thigh. She has black leggings and high top white chucks, and a purple hair scrunchie on her left wrist.

 **Winter Clothes:** Black leggings with fleece lining and her high top white chucks. She wears a long-sleeved purple shirt under a large fleece white jacket big enough to cover her hands and reach down to her thighs.

 **Swimsuit:** White swim shorts with black stripes on both sides, and a white bikini top under a light purple crop top. Her hair is tied in a ponytail with the scrunchie.

 **Sleepwear:** A long dark purple gown reaching past her knees with short sleeves, and white fuzzy slippers.

 **Accessories:** The purple hair scrunchie on her left wrist and typically a writing utensil of some sort tucked behind her ear.

 **Personality**

 **Personality:** An extremely curious person, she always has her eyes peeled for the slightest detail or change, and as a result has an exceptional memory, though anything and everything is written down. She's surprisingly smart and intuitive, and always very attentive, though to others she can seem absent-minded and ignorant. There are many layers to her thinking, and she always remains fair to others. Kasumi is considered somewhat antisocial, preferring to stand in the background and observe than to participate. She's known for being detached and unemotional, always doing and experiencing everything with an observant manner, as if she were not a part of it. She acts much older than her age.

She can come across as mysterious, as she will often do things without explanation. It can lead others to distrusting her, but she will always get things done if she can do it her own way. She's not known for doing things normally, with weird little quirks that some people find amusing. She's incidentally very quiet most of the time, fading into the background and sometimes even being forgotten about, although this is partially due to the fact that she has such little presence. As a result, she'll walk up to others to speak to them only to scare and surprise them when she speaks up.

 **Likes:** Watching people; writing, particularly in her diary; learning new things; happy endings; strawberry ice cream sundaes

 **Dislikes:** Sad things; death; sour foods; excessive physical contact; fighting; forgetting something; secrets

 **Strengths:** She's extremely observant; intellectual; mature, and thus able to handle crazy situations fairly calmly; scaring people; very honest; nimble fingers; surprisingly good at video games; keeping secrets

 **Weaknesses:** Antisocial; detached and unemotional, making others uncomfortable due to her lack of emotions; her lack of presence; scaring people; low stamina and endurance; athletically challenged; while smart, she's not the best at accurately letting others know what's on her mind

 **Fears:** Physical pain; losing her hands in any way, shape, or form

 **Hobbies:** Keeping logs of everything in her diary; watching people; writing; learning new things; watching others smile and have fun

 **Mental Illnesses?:** Schizoid Personality Disorder, characterized by a long-standing pattern of detachment from social relationships. Often has difficulty expressing emotions and does so typically in a very restricted range, especially when communicating with others.

 **Habits and Quirks:** She twirls her pencil between her fingers when watching someone/thing really intently; when she's trying to remember something, she'll stand on her head; she sneezes in sunlight; she often does/says strange things out of the blue that seem to have no relation whatsoever to others

 **What Kind of People do they Get Along With?:** She doesn't particularly get along with anyone, preferring to keep her distance and observe everyone from afar. Otherwise, she would hang out with someone who's used to being quiet for long periods of time.

 **Don't Get Along With?:** The particularly obnoxious type; those that bug, annoy, or flirt with her excessively.

 **Romance?:** Not very likely—if so, it'd be _very_ rare. If she did, it would have to be someone that she could be with for life.

 **Speech Mannerisms:** She speaks quietly, but also bluntly, with an almost brutal honesty. She's still very polite, partially as a way to keep from getting too familiar with people, always addressing people by their last names, with -san or the like. There's little emotion or inflection in her voice (more of a monotone than anything), and she's often found muttering to herself when she writes.

 **Quotes:** "Nikki, with the characters for 'day' and 'to record', and Kasumi, with the character for 'mist'. It's nice to meet you."  
"Excuse me, but I have your wallet."  
"What do you plan on doing now? Dying?"  
"Short, probably two and a half feet… bear-shaped, with a vertical split between the black half and the white half… one jagged, red eye that has the ability to glow… real fur…?"  
"It's sad, I think. Forgive me for being obtrusive, but being all alone like that… Don't you think it's sad?"

 **Background**

 **History:** Sorry, but nope. :P You can find that one out.

 **Family:** Takao Nishiya – Father, 48 years old, Living  
Miwa Nikki – Mother, 44 years old, Living, a Lawyer  
Kenta Shirawo – Step-father, 45 years old, Living

 **Secrets:** Not for you to know yet!

 **Physical Illnesses?:** N/A

 **Allergies?:** She's allergic to bird feathers.

 **Other Interesting Facts:** She has a pet guinea pig named Yumeko.

 **Academy/Game Info**

 **Role in Investigations:** She would keep a detailed account of all the evidence, pointing out things that other people would normally miss.

 **Role in Trials:** Due to her notes, she would likely be the first to contradict or back up claims and/or evidence, as well as help out with anybody's alibis, though she wouldn't come up with any ideas herself.

 **Free Time Activities:** Watching others; exploring the place; hanging out by the fire

 **Reaction to a Corpse:** She wouldn't necessarily have a reaction at all, really.

 **Reaction to an Execution:** A slight widening of the eyes and a still pencil would be her only outward reactions, though for a while afterwards she would definitely become more quiet and withdrawn, if only because of the sheer brutality of it all.

 **Motive(s) to Kill:** Someone who gets uncomfortably close to her emotionally and threatens her well-being and "peace of mind"

 **Execution:** Flattened in a paper-making or ink-making machine

 **Victim/Killer/Survivor?:** MC, so likely survivor, but would otherwise be either, if given the right circumstances

 **How Would They Act as the Culprit?:** She wouldn't act different, though she will avoid speaking about the victim, and she wouldn't write as much as she usually does.

 **Anything You Want to Add:** N/A


	2. Act 0-1

**First chapter! :) That doesn't mean submissions are closed yet, of course. It just means I've got a few already~!**

* * *

 **Act 0-1  
** _ **The Middle of Snowhere**_

The first to arrive was a young, Japanese male. He was light-skinned, with freckles sprinkled across his cheeks, and had a lithe, lightly muscled figure standing at around 5'6". His messy, somewhat spiky hair was black, and his almond-shaped eyes were large and violet, with light lashes. She estimated his weight at around 130 pounds, give or take. He was wearing black slacks and sneakers with a white dress shirt accompanied by a red tie and a dark blue blazer. She took special note of the red and white headphones on his head, dogs seeming to be the main design, if the dog ears on the band were any indication.

He looked around the main room with little interest, eyes alighting on the bookshelf in particular. Seeing her curled up in an arm chair, he eventually came over, if somewhat reluctantly, sitting down himself.

"You are?" She asked, pencil twirling in her hand.

"Yuhei Kuza, Ultimate Lip Reader," he replied, nodding his head in greeting, "A pleasure."

* * *

 _ **Yuhei Kuza, Ultimate Lip Reader  
Male, 16 years old, Japanese  
Birthday: 12 May  
5'6 in height and approx. 130 lbs in weight  
Spiky black hair and large violet eyes  
Likes dogs and books  
Headphones  
Born deaf**_

* * *

She nodded, scribbling in the journal in her hands as she spoke. "Kasumi Nikki." She stated, causing Yuhei to raise an eyebrow at her, as her hand had not ceased at its actions. "Nikki, with the characters for 'day' and 'to record', and Kasumi, with the character for 'mist'. It's nice to meet you."

* * *

 _ **Kasumi Nikki, Ultimate Diary Keeper  
Female, 14 years old, Japanese  
Birthday: 12 February  
4'6" in height and 105 lbs in weight  
Long wavy black hair and half-lidded light blue eyes  
Likes strawberry ice cream sundaes and dislikes secrets  
Aromantic  
Has Schizoid personality disorder**_

* * *

Yuhei stared at her, perhaps longer than was necessary, though she paid it no mind. She looked up at him with half-lidded, emotionless eyes as her pencil finally stilled. "Can you tell when I'm lying?"

The question caught him off guard, though that wouldn't have been visible in his facial expression. "Well, yeah." Kasumi's lip curled up in a pleasant expression, though it was gone as quickly as it came. If Yuhei hadn't been so observant, he would have missed it.

"It's a cozy room." The young girl stated, changing the subject just as abruptly. Her statement caused the other to finally observe it all properly, no longer distracted by the lingering haze in his mind.

* * *

 _ **Moon Mountain Winter Lodge – Lobby**_

 _ **It's a large, expansive room with the centerpiece being a pair of crimson sofas and armchairs respectively, placed neatly around a wooden coffee table, atop of which is a bowl of fresh fruit. The walls are wooden, though a lovely color, and the stone floor is a shade of gray that somehow makes the room feel warm.  
The southern wall consists of a large window offering a scenic view of the mountainside and the valley below. From the window one can see a pair of glass doors leading to a large, wide deck. In various spaces around that area of the room is a series of chairs angled in ways that groups of three or four are facing one another around a coffee table.  
The western wall is taken up mostly by a large stone fireplace that's brightly lit. A carpet is laid out before it, around which a leather couch takes up two sides. A loveseat with a footrest takes up the third.  
The eastern wall has a series of bookshelves across it, and a large wooden door that leads to another part of the building. Beside it sits a coat rack and a space set aside for shoes.  
A bar takes up most of the northern wall, another doorway beside it. The wall itself, of course, is covered with shelves stocked neatly with drinks. Several barstools line it.**_

* * *

Yuhei nodded in agreement with her statement.

Seeing as she didn't have any intention of talking anymore, he stood, making his way over to the bookshelves that had struck his fancy. He glanced at the door next to them, where a pair of high top white chucks was placed neatly under a large, fleece white jacket. In contrast, red trainers with black laces and white soles were tossed on the floor haphazardly, though he could assume they went with the other thick, white coat hanging off the rack.

Yuhei grabbed a random book off the shelf—a book about a dog in the north, interestingly enough—filing away the information about the trainers for later as he returned to the center of the room, sitting to Kasumi's left as he stretched out on a crimson-colored sofa.

Chopin played softly in his ears as he read, and relaxing, he was just about to drift off to sleep when a newcomer ambled noisily into the room, much to his irritation. Reluctantly, he sat up to face the new person.

It was a male of European descent, with pale skin accompanied by freckles—much more than Yuhei himself sported. The guy was taller than him, around 5'9", with a lean build. His long, dark blue hair looked uncombed, even from underneath the black beanie covering it. His eyes were green and oval-shaped, and squinted in some mental concentration. He wore a red hoodie, under which a sky-blue t-shirt was just visible, and blue denim jeans. His feet were clad in socks, meaning the red trainers must belong to him. On his left ear was a gold hoop earring.

Seeing the two watching him, the teen grinned at them. "Yo man, the name's Raymond Stark but please, call me Ray." His voice was loud, enthusiastic. Yuhei knew immediately that he would _not_ like this guy. "I'm the guy people want to go if they need some sick beats."

From beside him, Yuhei could see Kasumi scribbling in her journal once more.

* * *

 _ **Raymond "Ray" Bishop Stark, Ultimate DJ  
Male, 17 years old, British  
Birthday: 17 April  
5'9" in height and approx. 125 – 130 lbs in weight  
Uncombed dark blue hair and green eyes  
Likes the cold and dubstep  
Arachnophobia  
Dyslexic**_

* * *

"Nikki Kasumi, Ultimate Diary Keeper. He's the Ultimate Lip Reader, Kuza Yuhei." Kasumi greeted curtly, and Ray started, looking over at her.

He laughed, the startled look being wiped from his face. "Oh, sorry man, didn't see you there." He laughed some more, boisterously, and Yuhei sighed in slight annoyance.

"It's quite alright. I'm used to it." Kasumi replied, going back to scribbling in her journal. Yuhei was surprised at how easily she faded into the background.

His thoughts were interrupted quickly by Ray's voice. "Bingo!" The blue-haired teen blurted, slamming his fist into his outstretched palm, face lighting up. Yuhei opened his mouth to say something—what, he wasn't even sure yet—but there wasn't much of a point in the end, as immediately after, Ray raced out of the room, knocking over a chair or two on his way out.

Beside Yuhei, Kasumi's lips quirked in amusement. "What an interesting character…" She muttered to herself, writing a few more minutes before closing her diary with a snap. She nodded to a somewhat bewildered Lip Reader, before exiting the room silently.

Yuhei wasn't sure whether to be amused or annoyed by the recent turn of events.

* * *

 **These are the accepted characters so far. If you've submitted a character that doesn't appear on the list, it doesn't mean I've rejected them. They could still be accepted later on, but it depends on the other characters I'll get, how everyone gets along, and so on so forth.**

 **Yuhei Kuza, Ultimate Lip Reader, male** Courtesy of Reapergenesis32 **  
Raymond "Ray" Bishop Stark, Ultimate DJ, male** Courtesy of Oscar – The Undead Brony **  
Amelia (Von) Ebers, Ultimate Classical Composer, female** Courtesy of TheLaughingStone **  
Aimi Kimiko Chieko, Ultimate Acrobat, female** Courtesy of SatoIchinose **  
Alex Nagamine, Ultimate Bookworm, male** Courtesy of Alex The God Killer


	3. Act 0-2

**Act 0-2  
** _ **In the Middle of Snowhere**_

The next room Kasumi found herself in was expansive, almost as much as the main room. There really were hundreds of books, enough to keep one person occupied for months.

* * *

 _ **Moon Mountain Winter Lodge – Library**_

 _ **The large, double oak doors lead to an expansive room filled with shelves. The walls are oak and the floors are covered in bright red carpets. In the left corner by the door are a series of tables, surrounded by chairs. All are made of the same oak as the doors. The rest of the room is filled with a maze of bookshelves packed with all kinds of books, arranged by genre and the author's last name. Beanbags and squishy chairs of varying colors are scattered in different corners and hidey holes, where the occasional book is laid, a bookmark inside.**_

* * *

One could easily get lost amongst the large shelves, and it was amongst those that Kasumi found another person, nose buried in a book.

He was of an average build, and skinny with light brown skin. He had short, spiky brown hair, his bangs hanging just above his eyes. He had on a red sweater, under which could be seen the collar of a blue shirt. His legs were curled comfortably beneath him on a small brown loveseat, clad in blue jeans, and his hands kept a leather-bound book propped up in front of him, the right occasionally flipping a page. An emerald ring was visible on his right hand at times.

"Hello there." The teen looked up at her with different-colored eyes, blinking disinterestedly. "Nikki Kasumi, Ultimate Diary Keeper." The other turned back to his book, and Kasumi tilted her head. "Your name?"

The stranger looked back up at her once more, and after another several moments, he spoke. "The name is Alex," he replied, "I like to read books above most things. It's good to meet you."

* * *

 _ **Alex Nagamine, Ultimate Bookworm  
Male, 16 years old, Japanese-Mexican  
Birthday: 28 July  
5'5" in height and approx. 140 lbs in weight  
Short spiky brown hair and Heterochromia  
Left – Blue, Right – Yellow  
Aromantic  
Likes lemon popsicles and reads 2+ hours a day**_

* * *

Kasumi smiled, though the expression didn't show in her eyes. "A pleasure duly returned." She nodded at him, wavy black hair falling into her face. "There are others in the lobby." He nodded in reply, and she left, gliding like a ghost out of the room.

When she returned to the lobby, there were two newcomers in the room, talking up a storm, much to the annoyance of Yuhei.

The first was a short girl with a gymnast's body, perhaps only a little above four feet. Her skin was light, her freckled face framed by short, curly, honey-colored hair. She had wide green eyes that were scrunched up in laughter. She was wearing white, form-fitting pants, over which are bright pink legwarmers. She had on a thick, puffy pink jacket decorated with floral designs and the same shade of pink as her legwarmers. Her hands were clad in white gloves with a blue hem. She was speaking to the other newcomer in the room, stripping off purple sneakers with decorative flowers and sticky chunks of snow clinging to it.

The second person looked completely different, with a tanned complexion that was clear aside from her own freckles. She was nearly two feet taller than the other, with an athletically-toned physique, long arms, and ample bosom. She had black hair cut in a pixie cut, the rest of her facial features hidden by a pair of white ski goggles with yellow-tinted lenses. She had a white winter coat on that she was already beginning to unzip, and light blue ski-pants accompanied by clunky blue-and-white ski boots that she too had begun stripping off by the door, where Kasumi too had left her shoes.

The two finally noticed Yuhei as they collapsed into the large leather couch in front of the fireplace. The taller girl spoke first, Japanese inhibited by the thick Spanish accent in her voice.

"Hola! My name is Ruiza Maria Andrade… but you may call me EL TORBELLINO DORADO!" She stood, pointing her finger in the air dramatically; other hand perched on her hip. "I am the whirlwind that smites evil!"

* * *

 _ **Ruiza Maria Andrade, Ultimate Luchador  
Female, 18 years old, Mexican  
Birthday: 11 May  
6'1" in height and approx. 125-130 lbs in weight  
Boyish, pixie-cut black hair and wide gray eyes  
Also known as El Torbollino Dorado  
Likes jaguars and books by H.P. Lovecraft  
Never say Lucha Libre is fake**_

* * *

The other girl grinned, also popping out of her seat and waving. "Hello~! This is the marvelous Hayaikawa Rie, at your service! Nice to meet ya!"

* * *

 _ **Rie Hayaikawa, Ultimate Circus Performer  
Female, 15 years old, Japanese  
Birthday: 15 February  
4'2" in height and approx. 70-73 lbs in weight  
Short, curly honey hair and wide green eyes  
Panromantic Asexual  
Likes takoyaki, flowers, and puns  
White gloves**_

* * *

Yuhei grimaced at the ruckus, settling back into the couch as he tried to return to his book. Ray, who had returned at one point while Kasumi was gone, had introduced himself, and the three were talking up a storm. He looked at the pages, not entirely sure what he was even reading anymore as he turned up the volume of his music.

Kasumi eventually floated back over to the seat she'd sat at originally, perching herself there with her ever-present notebook, watching the trio and writing things down. Yuhei couldn't help but stare. Even without looking at the page, she wrote at an insanely fast pace, so much so that it was almost superhuman.

Soft footsteps padded along the room as another person entered, not that the rowdy group would have noticed. He almost immediately made his way to the two by the fireplace, and Kasumi's eyes alighted upon the leather-bound book still in his hands.

"Alex Nagamine," he said, nodding towards Yuhei, who returned the gesture briefly.

That was six people now. Yuhei wondered how many others there were. Kasumi, flipping through her notebook briefly, smiled ever-so-slightly. She couldn't wait to officially meet the rest.

* * *

 **I know I'm taking so long…. :( I'm really, really sorry, but this is partially for several reasons. First off, work stuff doesn't allow me to write much. As a result, this will likely be updated around once a week, though that's only an average. Don't expect it to be accurate, as I could update twice or not at all. I'll try to keep it consistent though.  
Second, I'm still waiting on three people to finish their submission forms. I look forward to their characters from what I know, of course, but I urge you to finish as quickly as you can. I don't want to rush you, but I can't update past a certain point with at least two of the three characters.**

 **Accepted Characters**

 **Yuhei Kuza, Ultimate Lip Reader, male** Courtesy of Reapergenesis32 **  
** **Raymond "Ray" Bishop Stark, Ultimate DJ, male** Courtesy of Oscar – The Undead Brony  
 **Ruiza Maria Andrade (El Torbellino Dorado)** **, Ultimate Luchador, female** Courtesy of dashunterman  
 **Rie Hayaikawa, Ultimate Circus Performer, female** Courtesy of SpectralTriangle **  
** **Alex Nagamine, Ultimate Bookworm, male** Courtesy of Alex The God Killer


	4. Act 0-3

**Act 0-3  
 _In the Middle of Snowhere_**

A wonderful aroma wafted through the halls, and Kasumi stopped, looking in the direction it came from. No one she'd met so far could cook—at least, not well—and it caused her to drift towards the smell. From the noisy racket that emanated from what she presumed to be the kitchen, she wasn't the first one to be attracted by her nose.

* * *

 _ **Moon Mountain Winter Lodge – Kitchen**_

 _ **A large doorway without the door leads into the large, expansive kitchen. In the center of the room is an island, the countertop covered tastefully with a bowl of fruit.**_ _(At the moment it's also covered in various ingredients that look to have been brought out by someone else.)_ _ **Barstools, two on each side, line the shorter sides of the island. On the far side of the room, the wall is relatively bare, aside from a wooden door and a thick metal door, leading to the pantry and the freezer respectively. To the left, closer to the middle of the wall, is a large refrigerator, and farther to the right of the fridge is a sink. A little ways down from the sink is a stovetop. The rest of the wall is made up counters, a microwave sitting just to the left of the fridge. The wall is covered in a series of wooden cabinets, with the exception of the window above the stove, looking out into the mountainside. On the same wall as the entrance to the kitchen are more counters, and just to one's left upon entering were two ovens, one atop the other. On one's right is a wall with several cabinets with glass doors. Inside can be seen a large variety of tableware, from plates and china cups to chopsticks and other silverware. On the far side of the same wall is a small cushioned bench. Swinging half-doors beside it appeared to lead into the dining hall.**_

* * *

"No no no! _Eso no está bien!"_ Ruiza's Spanish-accented voice was loud as she flitted around the room, looking disapprovingly at a pair of hands so white it was a wonder if the owner had ever gone outside in their life.

She attempted to reach over, probably to interfere and change something herself, only to be swatted away by a hand, blue eyes looking at her in irritation from behind brown-framed glasses. But she was incessant, the process repeating every few minutes, with the Ultimate Luchador trying to add or take or change something here and there.

She had changed from her thick clothes. Now, she was clad in a white sports bra and wrestler tights of the same color, with the exception of the gold streaking itself in a vertical stripe down her legs. Her wrestling boots were also golden. Around her waist was an AAA World Champion belt, and her goggles had been replaced by a white lucha mask, a gold-colored tornado glittering on the forehead.

The one Ruiza was bugging was only shorter than her by an inch, with a somewhat thin, but otherwise average build, and shaggy light brown hair more on the long side. His dress shirt was red, paired with blue jeans and equally red shoes. There was the added bit of an apron, and Kasumi was disappointed that it wasn't pink and frilly. The guy had his left arm wrapped around a large metal bowl, his right hand holding a large wooden spoon that was stirring what looked like some sort of batter.

A beep resounded through the room, coming from the nearby oven, and the guy set the batter bowl down, picking up a glove and opening the oven door. Steam rushed out, narrowly avoiding his face as a now gloved hand reached in, pulling out a metal tray. The smell of cookies filled the room, and he set the tray on the remarkably spacious counter.

He heaved a heavy sigh. "If you really want to help, you can put these on a plate and get a couple glasses of milk out." He conceded, waving a hand haphazardly towards the cookies. They were chocolate chip, and perhaps a little on the burnt side. As Ruiza moved forward, practically pouncing on the tray, he stopped her, brandishing the wooden spoon. "But wash your hands first."

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck in a tired manner. He muttered to himself somewhat grumpily, turning to resume his task.

"Are you a Cooking Ultimate?" The brunette and Ruiza both jumped, turning to look at Kasumi with wide-eyed expressions.

" _Me asustaste!"_ The masked woman placed a hand on her chest in an almost dramatic manner. "You are like a ghost, _mi amigo_!" Kasumi bowed politely.

"I apologize." She spoke quietly, rising again.

"I'm not a cook." The male of the room finally answered the question, once again looking calm, and perhaps a little annoyed at being haggled. "Junmaru Jonathan, Ultimate Procrastinator."

* * *

 _ **Jonathan Junmaru, Ultimate Procrastinator  
Male, 16 years old, Japanese-American  
Birthday: 11 February  
6'0" in height and approx. 150 lbs in weight  
Light brown hair and blue eyes  
Extremely pale skin  
A bit of a Mysophobic and hates sports  
Occasionally bakes**_

* * *

Kasumi nodded. "A pleasure to meet you. Nikki Kasumi." The two of them seemed somewhat dumbfounded as she breezed past, grabbing a cookie, thanking them both for the hard work, and breezing out of the room just as quickly.

Kasumi smiled as she heard the ruckus start up between the duo once more.

The building was expansive, though it seemed a large part of it was blocked off for whatever reason. The map-in-progress in her notebook took up an entire two pages, and there was at least another floor, if the stairs she'd seen earlier were anything to go by.

She wandered aimlessly, letting her feet lead her wherever. It was how she found herself at the end of a hallway filled with locked doors. The end of the hall was taken up by a large window, the sill replaced by a small daybed. It was a cozy little nook, the walls encompassing the cushioned seat replaced by shelves, upon which sat several books and other knickknacks. A small, unlit lamp was attached to a small section of wall just between the end of the bookshelf and the rest of the hallway.

Curled up on the blue and white daybed was another teen, a guy around the same height as Alex it seemed, deep in sleep. His unruly black hair was splayed out around his head on the mattress, bangs at varying, unusual and uneven lengths. His build was on the thin side, though he didn't have an athletic figure, visible even under his clothes.

He wore a wrinkled black t-shirt, with a blue bird pictured on the front, though it was hard to see from under the white, unzipped sweater draped haphazardly over his body as a makeshift blanket. On the back of it was the kanji for sleep. His jeans, equally as crinkled from sleep, were a dark blue, and a pair of flat shoes was lined up meticulously on the floor. His right arm acted as a pillow for his head, his hand covered in gauze and bandages. When Kasumi leaned in curiously, she could see the pendant of a cat resting on the mattress, the chain wrapped around his neck.

She poked him in the cheek. He stirred, but quickly fell back asleep. She poked him again, producing the same reaction. Frowning ever so slightly, Kasumi continued to poke the guy in the face, until finally he jolted violently, slapping her hand away as he sat up, scowling. His green eyes were almond-shaped, slim.

Upon seeing Kasumi, his gaze softened. "Can I help you or not?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

She stepped back, pencil poised above an open page. "I'm trying to gather everyone in the lobby. The name is Nikki Kasumi, Ultimate Diary Keeper."

"I'm Kudou Makoto, the Ultimate Forensic Scientist." He replied, nodding politely. "Thanks for letting me know."

* * *

 _ **Makoto Kudou, Ultimate Forensic Scientist  
Male, 16 years old, Japanese  
Birthday: 12 February  
5'5" in height and approx. 120 lbs in weight  
Unruly black hair and slim green eyes  
Narcoleptic and likes to sleep  
Afraid of ghosts and likes cats  
Cat pendant**_

* * *

Kasumi looked up briefly from her notebook, the new entry already added. "My pleasure." She replied, leaving him in peace as she left the hall. Behind her, Makoto was out as soon as his head hit the pillow.

* * *

 **IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT Y'ALL:** **For those of you that have reserved a spot but still haven't sent in an OC, I hate to rush you, but please send them in soon. Otherwise the story can't progress.** **  
So, thank you for those that are still reading! ^^ I know updates are a little slow, but I'm going to try to update around once a week, give or take. (This chapter would've been up earlier, but my computer was all like NOPE. NOT WORKING TODAY. Took literally five hours to fix it. And I didn't get up until like 1300HRS today. (1PM for you lazy bums.)) I should probably get a new laptop soon… This thing is pretty old…**

 _ **Eso no está bien! –**_ That's not right!

 _ **Me asustaste! –**_ You scared me!

 **Mysophobia is the proper term for germaphobia, or the fear of germs and the like.**

 **On a completely unrelated note! Anybody watch YouTube gamers? Manlybadasshero and/or Cryaotic in particular? They're two of my favorite YouTubers, and they** _ **finally**_ **did a colab together and I'm so happy, cause people have been asking Manly for years. xD I can't express how friggin' elated I am right now.**

 **Yuhei Kuza, Ultimate Lip Reader, male** Courtesy of Reapergenesis32 **  
** **Raymond "Ray" Bishop Stark, Ultimate DJ, male** Courtesy of Oscar – The Undead Brony  
 **Ruiza Maria Andrade (El Torbellino Dorado), Ultimate Luchador, female** Courtesy of dashunterman  
 **Rie Hayaikawa, Ultimate Circus Performer, female** Courtesy of SpectralTriangle **  
** **Alex Nagamine, Ultimate Bookworm, male** Courtesy of Alex The God Killer  
 **Jonathan Junmaru, Ultimate Procrastinator, male** Courtesy of Mechblade007 **  
Makoto Kudou, Ultimate Forensic Scientist, male** Courtesy of Starnightking


	5. Act 0-4

**Act 0-4** _ **  
**_ _ **The Middle of Snowhere**_

Another (unfortunately) loud ruckus made its way through the halls in the form of Raymond Stark. He was talking loudly with another girl, though unlike before with Ruiza and Rie, it was an argument rather than an enthusiastic conversation.

"What's wrong with my sick music?" He asked, obviously upset. Beside him was a new girl, her oversized black combat boots clicking along the floor as she walked beside him with an aristocratic sort of posture. Almost immediately Kasumi could see something fake about her, something not quite right, both with the way she looked and the way she acted. Her straight, shoulder-length hair, tied back in a ponytail, was white, the roots showing off her naturally dark brown color.

Her eyes were medium-sized but strange, the left one being purple, the right a bright yellow, and heavy black makeup decorated the left eye. They seemed to be contacts, though Kasumi wondered the reason for them. She was 5'11", two inches taller than Ray, and she had a slim, flat-chested figure, with unblemished fair skin. A short, formal-looking black skirt swished around her legs, her legs up to her knees covered in purple socks. A purple tank top was under a white, unbuttoned tuxedo-jacket, along with a red bowtie. Her right hand was covered with a leather black glove, the other hand clothed in a white silk one.

She huffed at Ray's indignant outburst, holding her head high. "That's exactly it. It's sick." She replied, moving ahead of him and into the main room. The others that were already there looked up at their entrance, the majority of them munching on Jonathan's cookies. Both Yuhei and Alex looked disgruntled at the racket that was being wrought. Upon seeing them, the girl beamed, doing a light curtsy. "My name is Amelia von Ebers! I know, it sounds imposing, but please treat me normally!"

* * *

 _ **Amelia (von) Ebers, Ultimate Classical Composer  
Female, 17 years old, German  
Birthday: 15 January  
5'11" in height and approx. 125 lbs in weight  
Straight dark brown hair dyed white and colorful contacts  
Left – Purple, Right – Yellow  
Likes art and dislikes physical work  
"Fake"; of noble birth?**_

* * *

The others exchanged brief introductions, the only one not there at the moment being Makoto. Although, knowing him, he was probably still asleep in the corridor nook. Kasumi watched it all, standing silently in the doorway. Yuhei looked over at her for a brief moment, but didn't say anything.

Ray, obviously not yet ready to drop the subject of their previous conversation, persisted. "How is it vulgar?" Amelia turned her nose up at him, and Ray glared.

Alex, evidently tired of the excessive noise that seemed to accompany the Ultimate DJ, stood, purposely walking between the two as he left the room. Yuhei frowned deliberately at the duo who, while uncomfortable and obviously disliking the other, had the decency to drop the subject. At least, for the time being.

"Five more," Kasumi finally spoke, startling everyone aside from Yuhei with her evident presence.

"What are you talking about?" The black-haired teen asked, frowning. The dark-haired girl turned to him with her apathetic blue eyes giving him a level, almost piercing gaze.

"The brochure said there were fourteen. We haven't met five." Ray raised an eyebrow, Amelia not looking entirely sure what to say at the moment.

"I think you miscounted. We haven't met six." He pointed out, and the shorter girl flipped a few pages back in her notebook. Finding the entry she was looking for, she held it up for the others to see.

"Kudou Makoto, the Ultimate Forensic Scientist. He was asleep in a corridor." She explained, and more than a few eyebrows rose at the comment.

"He's a narcoleptic." A young woman, two fishtail braids of ash-blonde hair framing her face, stepped into the room. Her hair had a middle part from what was seen under the black cabbie hat, reaching down to her chest, with was clad in a white sweatshirt under a dark teal trench coat. Her upper body was thin and lean, visible even under the thick clothes, and her lower body, particularly around the hips, was on the stockier side, a pear-shaped build, with black pants and a practical pair of black boots.

Her small, blue-gray eyes were widely spaced, rising slightly at the outer corner, accented by a mole just slightly above and to the left of her left eye. She smiled, her cheeks somewhat flushed on her slightly round and wide face.

A large brown purse hung by her side, from which she retrieved a pen, a paper pad already in her hand. From the looks of it, she'd already written quite a bit. "I'm Irja Kokkonen, Ultimate Investigative Journalist. And you all are?"

* * *

 _ **Irja Sari Kokkonen, Ultimate Investigative Journalist  
Female, 17 years old, Finnish  
Birthday: 12 August  
5'7" in height and approx. 141 lbs in weight  
Braided ash-blonde hair and blue-gray eyes  
Likes chocolate and dislikes small talk and spicy foods  
A dilettante – likes experimenting with new hobbies  
Black cabbie hat**_

* * *

The others in the room gave their own introductions, and at Irja's prompting, added on their Ultimate talents. She nodded to herself, writing some things down. She sort of reminded Yuhei of Kasumi, doing such a thing.

"So you write newspapers and stuff?" Ray asked, plopping down on the couch between Yuhei and Alex, much to the two's irritation.

"That's correct." Irja nodded.

"Oohh, I've read some of your articles! They're really good!" Rie piped up, mouth full, and Ruiza nodded in agreement.

" _Si,_ I saw your _artículo_ on Spanish rodeos. It was _muy bueno_!" Irja smiled warmly, straightening just the slightest bit.

"Thank you very much! The Ultimate Luchador, was it? Can you explain to me a little more about Lucha Libre? I don't actually know that much about it." The blonde readied her pen, the writing utensil hovering over the paper pad in her hands.

Her words seemed to have sparked something in Ruiza, as she lit up, hands moving about to emphasize her words. "Lucha Libre is amazing! It's a type of professional wrestling from _México_ , but unlike wrestling, we have techniques that are _mas libre_ and _acrobático!"_

Irja nodded, writing it all down dutifully. "And what about the mask you're wearing?"

Ruiza's chest puffed out. "This is a sacred item!" She gestured proudly to her mask.

The two went back and forth, with Irja asking questions and Ruiza answering enthusiastically. As the others began to lose interest, they moved on into their own conversations—or, in the case of Yuhei, Kasumi, and Alex, went back to their books or journals.

Regardless of the few quiet ones, the noise overall attracted Makoto in the room, half of his face somewhat raw from being slept on. He didn't say anything, despite the curious looks several gave him, trudging over to one of the farther armchairs and plopping down.

"What?" He asked, finally noticing the stares.

Irja smiled at him. "So you're the Ultimate Forensic Scientist. I'm Irja Kokkonen, Ultimate Investigative Journalist."

He nodded, still looking somewhat sleepy, though once he looked at her properly, his demeanor seemed to change. He became more closed off, more guarded. "Please don't try and get friendly with me. Thanks in advance."

Irja frowned, her expression darkening briefly, before nodding curtly. "Fine then, have it your way." She replied, walking away. Makoto didn't seem fazed, and he shrugged it off. And fell asleep.

* * *

 **So, once again, for the two that have yet to submit what they've reserved, please do that within the next two weeks, or else I'll be forced to remove your character from the list. I hate to rush you, but I want to keep the story moving on a schedule.  
Otherwise, thank you lot for reading! ^^ I realize chapters now are a little short, as well as perhaps being a little boring, but once all the introductions are through with, that will change! Chapters will be longer and there will be killings and despair galore~!  
…I'm not that happy about it. I swear.**

 **Yuhei Kuza, Ultimate Lip Reader, male** Courtesy of Reapergenesis32 **  
** **Raymond "Ray" Bishop Stark, Ultimate DJ, male** Courtesy of Oscar – The Undead Brony  
 **Ruiza Maria Andrade (El Torbellino Dorado), Ultimate Luchador, female** Courtesy of dashunterman  
 **Rie Hayaikawa, Ultimate Circus Performer, female** Courtesy of SpectralTriangle **  
** **Alex Nagamine, Ultimate Bookworm, male** Courtesy of Alex The God Killer  
 **Jonathan Junmaru, Ultimate Procrastinator, male** Courtesy of Mechblade007 **  
** **Makoto Kudou, Ultimate Forensic Scientist, male** Courtesy of Starnightking  
 **Irja Sari Kokkonen, Ultimate Investigative Journalist, female** Courtesy of Lupus Overkill


	6. Act 0-5

**Act 0-5  
** _ **The Middle of Snowhere**_

They'd long finished off the cookies—most of the group was far too selfish to save any for the ones who had yet to arrive—before anymore newcomers had appeared in the main room, no doubt attracted by the noise.

"Ah, so this is where everyone is!" A young, cheerful-looking girl no older than Kasumi peeked into the room, freckled face brightening at the sight of everyone. She was pretty skinny and fairly short, though her assets were rather… abundant. Kasumi looked at her own chest with a small frown.

Ginger hair a little on the poofy side was pulled back into a ponytail, though there was a small fringe that hung down over her forehead, just above oval-shaped, dark green eyes. In her hair was also a rainbow hair clip. She was adorned in a pink jumper that was a little baggy on her figure, the picture of a cat on the front of it, and a black skirt that swayed when she moved. Her pink and white trainers were quiet on the carpets.

She waved politely. "Hi there, name's Aimi Chieko! You can call me whatever, I don't really mind."

* * *

 _ **Aimi Kimiko Chieko, Ultimate Acrobat  
Female, 14 years old, Japanese  
Birthday: 1 May  
Approx. 5'1" in height and 100 lbs in weight  
Somewhat poofy ginger hair and dark green eyes  
Likes acrobatics and other people being happy  
Strongly dislikes perverts  
Lots of pink and cats**_

* * *

Most of the other teens in the room exchanged their own hellos, though were unable to get through the increasingly long stream of introductions when another person streaked into the room.

He had entered through the same hall that Aimi had come from, and before anyone could react, grinned wolfishly, flipping up her skirt, revealing what looked to be bicycle pants. His face fell, though this was quickly replaced by fear as Aimi shrieked in anger, whirling around and pulling out a long baton from who knew where.

The guy ducked and dodged as she attempted to strike him, racing around to the other side of the room and diving onto the couch where Yuhei and Kasumi sat on either side. That didn't save him from the rampaging teen, as she whacked him hard on the side. His flailing limbs slapped Yuhei in the face and knocked Kasumi's diary and pencil from her hands, a long line being drawn across the page. While Kasumi sighed, picking up the objects and erasing the line, Yuhei shoved the teen off his lap and book.

He landed hard on the floor, groaning, and for the first time since arriving was still enough to allow the others to get a proper look at him.

The guy was tall, almost six foot, with a lithe, effeminate figure and long thin legs. His face could be described as 'pretty', with thick and curly black hair that flopped into his large eyes, the bright blue orbs framed by long lashes. His skin is a dark olive color, and a mole could be seen just under his right eye. His fingers were long and nimble, and on his thumb was a somewhat rusted iron ring, half of a broken heart engraved on it.

He was clad in a loose red tank top underneath an unzipped, black hooded vest that was sprawled out along with his limbs. He wore dark gray skinny jeans—a chain hanging from the belt loops—which were tucked into a pair of clunky hiking boots, the laces untied and the bottoms still wet from snow, which had smeared on the couch and carpet. Covering his wrists were dozens of various bracelets and wristbands.

His face is scrunched up in pain as he slowly pulls himself up into a sitting position, rubbing his side, where Aimi had hit him. "Ow… Geez, you didn't have to hit me so hard…" He spoke with a mixed accent, though it was somewhat reminiscent of that of an American, but not quite right. A little off.

"Do anything like that again and you won't be so lucky, pervert." She growled, pointing the baton at him threateningly. He glares at her, sticking out his tongue in a childish manner.

Yuhei, somehow stuck in the middle of it all, looked irately at the darker-skinned guy. Nearby, Ray is howling with laughter, and Ruiza and Rie joined him not long after he started. Most of the others have amused looks on their faces. Irja had her eyebrow raised in an "I told you so" manner. From the way the blue-eyed guy scowled at her, they had spoken earlier.

Kasumi moved to the couch on the other side of the room, before the blazing fireplace.

"I'm not a pervert!" The guy protested indignantly, but the ginger-haired girl just crossed her arms firmly, giving him a disapproving look.

"Then what am I supposed to call you?"

The dark-haired teen looked disgruntled, but answered reluctantly. "…The name's Mikala Kaimi Nuri, Ultimate Cosmetologist. Some people call me Mika, others Kai." He scratched the back of his head, fingers getting tangled in his thick curly hair. "Take your pick."

* * *

 _ **Mikala Kaimi Nuri, Ultimate Cosmetologist  
Male, 17 years old, American/Romanian  
Birthday: 13 August  
5'10" in height and approx. 153 lbs in weight  
Curly black hair and bright blue eyes  
Likes being with others and beauty  
Dislikes being proven wrong and crossdressing  
Pervert?**_

* * *

Aimi smiled at him, taking Mikala by surprise. "Well then, it's nice to meet you Mikala. My name's Aimi Chieko, Ultimate Acrobat."

Mikala grunted as he pulled himself to his feet. The noise seemed to have attracted a third person, who entered the room with a blank expression on his face.

He was fair-skinned, standing at 5'8" with a thin, though otherwise average body type. His round eyes were black, the same color as his hair, which was kept down, bangs reaching as far down as his eyes, with two-thirds swept to the left and the other third swept to the right.

He wore a black jacket with red lines sewn on the edges, where a white shirt was just visible underneath. His pants and shoes were also black, with the same red lines as his jacket.

Irja noticed him first, being closest to the doorway from which he'd entered.

"You are?" She asked, turning to him. He looked up at her with the same expressionless face, though he eventually gave her a small, polite smile.

"Vergil," he replied, at which point everyone had turned to them now.

"What about your talent?" She asked, the pen still in her hands flipping between her fingers.

"The Ultimate Friend." The others raised an eyebrow at that, but otherwise, no one said anything. Irja's face twisted slightly in some form of curiosity, and she opened her mouth to ask something, but Vergil beat her to it.

The small smile disappeared from his face quicker than it had appeared. "If you're wondering why I didn't say my last name, that's because I hate it."

The blonde, Finnish girl's brows rose higher than anyone else's, but she seemed to have the sense not to ask.

* * *

 _ **Vergil ?, Ultimate Friend  
Male, 18 years old, Japanese/American  
Birthday: 6 November  
5'8" in height and approx. 120 lbs in weight  
Black hair and round black eyes  
Likes quiet places and dislikes overconfident people  
Seems to have a lack of emotions and fear  
Snowboards and plays the ocarina**_

* * *

Instead, she looked around the room at the group before her. "Then… that makes thirteen of us. There's still one person."

"…Actually…" Mikala raised his hand, a somewhat guilty expression on his face. Everyone turned to him, and he shrunk where he stood, however slightly. "…I received an invitation separate from the lottery. So I'm pretty sure I make fifteen people. So two left."

Irja looked at him with a stern expression on her face, seeming unusually serious. Kasumi, Yuhei, and Makoto—who had woken up at some point during all the commotion—have similar expressions. With all their expressions focused on Mikala, only Kasumi noticed Alex hovering at the edge of the doorway, not quite sure if he should enter or not. She gave him a subtle gesture to come into the room.

"The invitation you got; what exactly did it say?" Irja grabbed the right side of her jaw, brows furrowed in thought.

"Actually, I've got it here." Out of his vest pocket he pulled a small envelope. It was an off-color white, a broken red seal on one side and the address and name of Mikala in looping cursive on the other. He lived in Hawaii, in the US.

Irja took the letter from his hands, flipping it over and examining the envelope before taking the invitation out of it. It consisted of an elegant card made with a special kind of reinforced paper, the symbol of Hope's Peak Academy in one corner.

It read:

 _Dear Mikala Kaimi Nuri, Ultimate Cosmetologist,_

 _We wish to personally invite you to the Moon Mountain Winter Lodge for a vacation at this deluxe resort!  
The Headmaster has asked that you join fourteen of your fellow Hope's Peak students in a special,  
once-in-a-lifetime event to be broadcasted in a special reality show program._

The rest of the letter is smudged in a dark, though long-dried liquid. It looked eerily similar to blood.

"Wh-What's the st-stuff covering it?" Makoto's voice asked, shaking slightly. Kasumi raised an eyebrow at his reaction, but turned her attention back to the others.

Mikala had shrugged. "Rouge. Lip gloss. You know the works. I was trying to multitask, and obviously," he waved a hand at the letter, "it didn't work out too well."

"Do you remember what the rest of it said?" Irja asked, placing the invitation back into the envelope and handing it back to him. Mikala shrugged again.

"Details on the Lodge, things I should check out or expect. Usual tourist stuff." Irja hummed to herself, but they said no more. There was a pretty loud commotion coming from outside.

* * *

 **Pot stickers are a wonderful thing.**

 **Kasumi Nikki, Ultimate Diary Keeper, female  
Yuhei Kuza, Ultimate Lip Reader, male** Courtesy of Reapergenesis32 **  
** **Raymond "Ray" Bishop Stark, Ultimate DJ, male** Courtesy of Oscar – The Undead Brony  
 **Ruiza Maria Andrade (El Torbellino Dorado), Ultimate Luchador, female** Courtesy of dashunterman  
 **Rie Hayaikawa, Ultimate Circus Performer, female** Courtesy of SpectralTriangle **  
** **Alex Nagamine, Ultimate Bookworm, male** Courtesy of Alex The God Killer  
 **Jonathan Junmaru, Ultimate Procrastinator, male** Courtesy of Mechblade007 **  
** **Makoto Kudou, Ultimate Forensic Scientist, male** Courtesy of Starnightking  
 **Irja Sari Kokkonen, Ultimate Investigative Journalist, female** Courtesy of Lupus Overkill  
 **Aimi Kimiko Chieko, Ultimate Acrobat, female** Courtesy of SatoIchinose **  
Mikala Kaimi Nuri, Ultimate Cosmetologist, male  
Vergil, Ultimate Friend, male** Courtesy of lVergil


	7. Act 0-6

**Act 0-6  
** _ **The Middle of Snowhere**_

No one could really tell their exact gender, not that it seemed to matter. They had dark tan skin with muted cool undertones, and freckles peppered them everywhere. They stood at 5'7", with a stocky build and thick arms and legs, though not from muscles. Their angular brown eyes had a yellow-ish tint to them, but they were very warm and crinkled when they smiled. Their dusty blonde hair had dark roots, with a very short style and long bangs held back by hair clips.

They wore slim-fitting black pants and a mauve-colored sweater, the sleeves ending at their elbow, and it was tight enough to see the roles of their stomach. A white scarf was wrapped around their neck, and worn brown falconry gloves covered their hands. Worn sideways, strapped around their waist, was a matching fanny pack. Their shoes were just regular brown loafers, and around their neck was a wooden bead necklace.

The newcomer was very fidgety, standing somewhat nervously in the doorway as their eyes wandered around the room. It was kind of hard to not notice the dozens of birds sitting and fluttering around them.

"You are?" Irja was the first to speak up.

"Um…Ultimate Choir Conductor… Celinel Frischt… it's very nice to meet you, I hope you don't mind, um… all the birds." They spoke softly, their sentences drawn out. The birds occasionally fluttered and moved about as they fidgeted.

* * *

 **Celinel Frischt, Ultimate Choir Conductor  
Polygender, 16 years old, Black/Arab mixed (born in Ontario, Canada)  
Birthday: 19 October  
5'7" in height and approx. 167 lbs in weight  
Dusty blonde hair and warm brown eyes with yellow tint  
Likes birds and noodles and dislikes scary movies and conflict  
Uses they/them pronouns  
Demisexual Panromantic**

* * *

"Well, it's _muy bueno_ to meet you, Celi!" Ruiza piped up, both her and Rie popping up on either side of them and interlocking their arms, practically dragging Celinel into the room.

They tried to protest, but failed miserably, bumbling over their words as they were sat down on a couch, trapped in between the two enthusiastic girls.

By this point, all but one had gathered in the lobby of the Moon Mountain Winter Lodge. Of course, with everyone gathered around, it wasn't long before he came into the room as well.

He was Caucasian, with a pale complexion. He seemed pretty underweight, standing at 5'10" with a skinny, lanky build. His hair was black, flaring out about his head and reaching past his ears. It was very disheveled-looking, and a large, stubborn strand stuck up on top, seeming to point to the left. He was clad in a simple white t-shirt, blue jeans, black boots, black fingerless gloves, and a black belt with a silver buckle. His thin-lidded eyes were an electric blue, and his most defining feature was the black trench coat he wore and the black eyepatch over his right eye.

Everyone went quiet when they saw him. Even just upon arriving, he seemed a cold, unapproachable person.

"Who are you?" Yuhei was the one to ask, seeing everyone else silent and unmoving.

"…Jack." He replied, and no one really had the urge to prompt him for anything more.

* * *

 **Jack ?, Ultimate ?  
Male, 16 years old, American-Canadian  
Birthday: 13 March  
5'10" in height and approx. 130 lbs in weight  
Black hair with stubborn strand and electric blue eyes  
Seems unapproachable?  
Eyepatch over right eye  
?**

* * *

Of course, they didn't really get much of a chance, as not long after, there was a strange… whimsical sound, almost like laughter? Several people jumped to their feet, all fifteen high schoolers looking around.

And amidst all of them, from the ceiling, came a bear.

The bear's entire body was split vertically in half, with radically different designs on either side, though still keeping the basic shape of a bear. Its right side was white, with a cute, classic teddy bear expression. The left side, on the other paw, was black in color, with a wide, sharp, toothy grin that spread way beyond his muzzle and a jagged red slash replacing his eye. Within the red eye could be seen a number of concentric rings by those close enough, and it seemed to glow at different intensities, depending on the bear's emotional state. Its claws were white, and seemed to be retractable, and it had an outlined belly and an "outie" belly button with an X mark on it.

"Hello students~!" It exclaimed, waving a paw in the air. Its voice was high-pitched and light-hearted, with a hint of robotic and a bucket load of whimsical.

The group jumped, a couple of the girls shrieking at the sight of the bear bouncing around on the table. "Wh-Wh-What…? A bear?" Rie stuttered, and the bear laughed.

"That's right!" It replied, putting emphasis on the vowels in a sing-song manner. "I'm your Headmaster, Monokuma! It's nice to meetcha!"

* * *

 **Monokuma, Headmaster?  
Male?, ? years old, ?  
Birthday: ?  
2'6" in height and ? lbs in weight  
White side and black side with jagged red left eye  
Seems to love creating despair and causing havoc  
White—good? Black—evil?  
"Upupupupupu~!"**

* * *

"The bear can speak?" Someone muttered, though in all the chaos, it was hard to tell who it was.

Beside Yuhei, Kasumi could be heard muttering to herself, hand flying across her diary page. "Short, probably two and a half feet… Bear-shaped, with a vertical split between the black half and the white half… One jagged, red eye that has the ability to glow… Real fur…?"

"I'm short on time, you lot! I can talk, I can walk, I can shake my furry butt! So, on that note, I'd like to explain your lives here from now on!" The bear—Monokuma—shouted, wiggling about in animated movements as it spoke. "You guys, the world's greatest hopes, the future of humanity… are required to spend the rest of your lives up here in the middle of nowhere~!"

His words sparked an outburst of outrage and indignation from the others, particularly the more expressive ones such as Ruiza, Ray, Rie, and Mikala.

"What do you mean 'indefinitely'?!"

"You're kidding!"

"No way in hell am I staying in here for the rest of my life!"

"For the rest of our lives…?" Celinel asked quietly, and Monokuma's grin seemed to grow wider.

"Yup! But don't worry! I've got the big bucks, so you won't freeze to death."

"But…" Celi was quickly shot down by Monokuma before they could speak.

"Aanyways! I'm sure it's obvious, but there is no transportation or contact with the outside world. You're a~all alone!" He drew out the 'all', making the sound last an abnormally long time.

Ruiza was the first to snap, stamping her foot angrily. "No! I want out of this _agujero del infierno_!"

The bear laughed, a sound that sent terror streaking through everyone present. "Upupupupupu~! Well… It's not like you _can't_ leave."

"What do you mean by that?" Irja asked, straightening in posture.

Monokuma laughed again. "I, your sexy Headmaster, have put in place a beary special system for anyone who wants to leave! It's called Graduation!"

"Great, he makes bear puns too…" Alex muttered, and Monokuma chose to ignore his comment. For now.

"And what is this Graduation supposed to entail?"

"That is a _beary_ good question, Irja!" Monokuma replied, pointing at her with a claw when he spoke her name. "Well, I'm sure you're all big bears now, so I'll give it to you straight! In order to graduate… you have to murder one of your fellow classmates."

This time, everyone was shocked into silence. It was a loud kind of quiet, the one that pounded in one's ears. They couldn't quite believe what they'd heard.

"Oh, and before I go, I'd like to give you guys a souvenir! Your very own resort ID! Neato, right? I call them ElectroiDs! 'Electro' because they're electronic, and 'iD' because they're IDs, but waay cooler than those lamo IDs at schools! You'll find one in your pocket or bag. They're completely waterproof, and when you turn it on, it displays your real name. These babies have a lot of other cool functions too, so don't go losing them! It also contains a list of resort policies; make sure to read them veeery carefully! Violating the rules will earn you a punishment!"

Several teens reached into their pockets, and as the bear had said, within there was a sleek, flat object like that of a tablet.

"Welp, that's everything! Enjoy your extended vacation!" And with that, the bear that called himself Headmaster vanished as quickly as he had appeared.

 **END OF ACT 0  
15 STUDENTS LEFT**

* * *

 **So that's it for introductions. Next chapter we'll be starting Act 1 and finally really getting into the story! :3 So much murde—** _ **ahem**_ **, I mean character development that I'm really excited to write! Sorry for lack of a chapter last week (I think it was last week anyways); I was on another trip. Aside from major holidays, things should be back to normal on updates, which is supposed to be once a week. Typically on Saturdays, though that may vary depending on the time I have. Next week, due to Halloween, I'll most likely either post a chapter a day or two early or not at all.  
Thank you all for submitting and I'll be seeing you (hopefully) next week! (If not, happy early Halloween~!)**

 **Kasumi Nikki, Ultimate Diary Keeper, female** **  
** **Yuhei Kuza, Ultimate Lip Reader, male** Courtesy of Reapergenesis32 **  
** **Raymond "Ray" Bishop Stark, Ultimate DJ, male** Courtesy of Oscar – The Undead Brony  
 **Ruiza Maria Andrade (El Torbellino Dorado), Ultimate Luchador, female** Courtesy of dashunterman  
 **Rie Hayaikawa, Ultimate Circus Performer, female** Courtesy of SpectralTriangle  
 **Amelia (Von) Ebers, Ultimate Classical Composer, female** Courtesy of TheLaughingStone **  
** **Alex Nagamine, Ultimate Bookworm, male** Courtesy of Alex The God Killer  
 **Jonathan Junmaru, Ultimate Procrastinator, male** Courtesy of Mechblade007 **  
** **Makoto Kudou, Ultimate Forensic Scientist, male** Courtesy of Starnightking  
 **Irja Sari Kokkonen, Ultimate Investigative Journalist, female** Courtesy of Lupus Overkill  
 **Aimi Kimiko Chieko, Ultimate Acrobat, female** Courtesy of SatoIchinose **  
** **Mikala Kaimi Nuri, Ultimate Cosmetologist, male** **  
** **Vergil, Ultimate Friend, male** Courtesy of lVergil  
 **Celinel Frischt, Ultimate Choir Conductor, polygender** Courtesy of my friend Frankie (who's too lazy to get an account, apparently) **  
Jack ?, Ultimate ?, male** Courtesy of RestinDarkness


	8. Act 1-1

**Act 1-1  
** _ **Pages As White As Snow**_

Fifteen high school students stood about the Lobby, not entirely sure what to do next. If they were all being honest, it was perhaps shock more than anything, though regardless, they were quickly over it. A strange bunch, they were.

"Monokuma talks too much." Irja was the first to remark, her pen making a few last strokes on her notepad before she snapped it shut and placed it in her bag. Kasumi nodded in agreement to the previous statement.

"Great, I'm stuck here by a wannabe Winnie the Pooh that tries too hard to be adorable. Just my luck." Alex muttered, already opening up his book once more and going back to reading. On a wayward armchair, Makoto had fallen asleep.

Seeing everyone more or less in denial, Kasumi shook her head softly and dug into her pocket. As the bear had proclaimed earlier, within there was a relatively compact object. Upon pulling it out, she found a thin tablet at the top of the line in terms of technology. It lit up under the light brush of her fingers, Hope's Peak Academy's symbol displayed as a sort of background in a blue light.

When Kasumi called it top of the line, it was really _top of the line_. Several apps had popped up on the tablet as well, and after a moment of careful consideration, Kasumi pressed on the map. A blue hologram popped up out of the tablet—or rather, out of the ElectroiD—displaying the entire Resort before her. Each area was labeled; those in a muted color were places she had not yet explored, and the places outlined in red were areas unavailable to her. A small white dot displayed her location in the lobby.

The others, upon seeing the map pop out, pulled out their own ElectroiDs, various apps being pressed and various holograms popping in and out of existence.

A particular hall on the map stood out to her, however; it seemed to be the same place she had first found Makoto Kudou sleeping, curled up in the nook under the window. The hall itself wasn't labeled, but the rooms on each side were all labeled with the names of each of the people present.

"There seem to be dorms." She murmured, though only Yuhei heard her. With his own ElectroiD he brought up the map to see for himself, relaying it to the others.

"Then _vamos!_ Let us go!" Ruiza and Rie led the way out the room, down several halls and what looked to be in a roundabout way to actually get there, but nonetheless got them to their destination. The hallway looked no different than before, but the previously unmarked and locked doors now sported a small, pixilated figure of each of the fifteen, one for each door. Kasumi found hers farther down, and when she tried the door this time, it opened.

* * *

 _ **Moon Mountain Winter Lodge – Dormitory**_

 _ **It consists of a long hallway, the end of which is taken up by a large window, the sill replaced by a small daybed. The walls encompassing the cushioned seat have been replaced by shelves, upon which sits several books and other knickknacks. A small, unlit lamp is attached to a small section of wall just between the end of the bookshelf and the rest of the hallway.  
From the left side farthest from the window and down, there was Jack, Amelia Von Ebers, Ruiza Andrade, Celinel Frischt, Makoto Kudou, Jonathan Junmaru, Kasumi Nikki, and Raymond Stark. From the right side farthest from the window and down, there was Alex Nagamine, Rie Hayaikawa, Vergil, Irja Kokkonen, Mikala Nori, Aimi Chieko, and Yuhei Kuza.**_

 _ **Each room consists of reasonably plain, but still fashionable household appliances and furniture. A bed sits in the center of the room, the head pushed against the right wall, with a small bedside table on the left side of it. Each has a large window on the opposite wall from the door, with the exception of Yuhei's and Ray's rooms, which have a window on the right wall, just above the bed. Jack's room has no windows at all. At the ends of the beds sit a chest, which contains various miscellaneous yet potentially deadly objects within. On the left side sits a desk and chair, with a reasonably sized bookshelf on either side, though the objects occupying them varies depending on the room's occupant. The wooden floors contains a rather comfortable rug of varying designs, and just to the left of the door is a small area leading to a bathroom containing a sink, toilet, mirror, and a bath/shower combination hidden by a curtain. There's a thermostat in each room allowing one to adjust the temperature to their needs.**_

* * *

The others could be heard oohing and aahing at the little details provided, and possibly at the scene outside. Kasumi looked out the window herself; it was near sunset at this point, the sun casting bright colors across the snow-covered slope.

It would be about time to get some dinner and go to bed. She was the first to leave the room; having sufficiently recorded all the things of importance inside, though eventually the others trailed behind, following.

The dining room and the kitchen were connected through a doorway, which Kasumi went in the kitchen and around without a second thought, though most of the others went through the doorway leading directly into the room.

* * *

 _ **The Moon Mountain Winter Lodge – Dining Room**_

 _ **Two large double doors lead into the hall, and on the left side upon one's entrance were a pair of swinging half-doors that led to the kitchen. To the left of it is a small, though relatively long table atop of which is stacked various snacks and tableware, adding to the extensive amount already in the Kitchen. Two long tables lined with chairs take up most of the room, with more than enough room for over three dozen people. A large window makes the northern wall, a small door leading to a balcony where one can see a large cliff separating the Lodge from the top of the mountain. What looks to be a ski lift can be seen stretching across the canyon and farther up the mountain. A large dazzling chandelier casts a warm light over the entire room.**_

* * *

"Anyone here know how to cook?" Ray looked around impatiently, though he was not the only one. They were all pretty hungry.

Mikala was the first to acknowledge his skills, with Jonathan not far behind, though most of the group knew this much from his cookies earlier. Seeing this, Ruiza quickly followed, with Irja right behind her. Alex eventually joined them, though only after Irja gave him a pointed look.

Mikala looked at the other four amateur chefs, muttering to himself. "It's probably best if we split cooking duties. Like, every other day, the girls can cook. On the days they don't, the three of us will." He gestured to himself, Alex, and Jonathan. "Of course, it doesn't have to be in those specific groups." He laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck.

Irja nodded in an approving manner. "That sounds reasonable. We can take care of today."

The black-haired teen grinned, waving off the two girls as they eventually made their way into the kitchen, Rie tagging along and talking up a storm. Not long after, everyone began arranging themselves into seats, Amelia and Ray stubbornly sitting on opposite sides of the table from one another. Yuhei, Alex, Jonathan, Vergil, and Makoto all sat in a somewhat spread out manner at the next table. Aimi joined Kasumi at Amelia's and Ray's table, though they sat closer to Amelia's side. Closer to Ray's side was Celinel, followed by Mikala. Jack sat alone at the far end of the second table.

They were all relatively quiet, an uneasy tenseness filling the air. Even the normally talkative ones didn't speak much, and it became evident to Kasumi that the bear's words were finally starting to really sink in.

Even after the food was brought out, and the ever talkative Rie and Ruiza returned, the two seemed to sense the mood in the air and were too subdued by it.

Of course, naturally there was those that couldn't really stay quiet. Rie spoke up first. "We're not… We're not really going to have to murder someone, right?" She asked, looking down at her plate of food. It was barely touched. "No one here… No one here would actually do it… right?" She smiled wanly, her face somewhat pale, but it was something that brought a little comfort to others.

Amelia nodded, not looking very fazed. "But of course. Why should we listen to a psychotic bear?" Kasumi decided not to mention the trembling of the Composer's hand.

"But… just as a precaution… perhaps we should… make everyone check in daily... Y-You know… j-just in case…" Celi was quiet, but with the room's occupants on edge, their voice was more than loud enough.

Ray looked at the Conductor, the birds still fluttering around them. "It's a good point." He conceded with a sigh that was somewhere between impatient and concerned. "How about we all meet in the lobby by noon every day? Once everyone's there we can go about our business."

There were eventual agreements to the plan, and once everyone had made some sort of acknowledgement, he grinned. "Then it's settled. It's been a long day, I'm heading to bed. Stay cool, dudes."

He left the room before anyone could respond.

* * *

 **So, like I mentioned before, this is really late. Sorry about that. :P This shouldn't affect the usual end of the week one though. So, how was your Halloween(s)? If you celebrated at all. :P I was the Riddler, along with a bunch of other friends who were other DC (really just Batman) villains.  
(I wanted to be Loki or a friggin' Avenger, but goddammit I'm broke.)**

 **Kasumi Nikki, Ultimate Diary Keeper, female** **  
** **Yuhei Kuza, Ultimate Lip Reader, male** Courtesy of Reapergenesis32 **  
** **Raymond "Ray" Bishop Stark, Ultimate DJ, male** Courtesy of Oscar – The Undead Brony  
 **Ruiza Maria Andrade (El Torbellino Dorado), Ultimate Luchador, female** Courtesy of dashunterman  
 **Rie Hayaikawa, Ultimate Circus Performer, female** Courtesy of SpectralTriangle  
 **Amelia (Von) Ebers, Ultimate Classical Composer, female** Courtesy of TheLaughingStone **  
** **Alex Nagamine, Ultimate Bookworm, male** Courtesy of Alex The God Killer  
 **Jonathan Junmaru, Ultimate Procrastinator, male** Courtesy of Mechblade007 **  
** **Makoto Kudou, Ultimate Forensic Scientist, male** Courtesy of Starnightking  
 **Irja Sari Kokkonen, Ultimate Investigative Journalist, female** Courtesy of Lupus Overkill  
 **Aimi Kimiko Chieko, Ultimate Acrobat, female** Courtesy of SatoIchinose **  
** **Mikala Kaimi Nuri, Ultimate Cosmetologist, male** **  
** **Vergil, Ultimate Friend, male** Courtesy of lVergil  
 **Celinel Frischt, Ultimate Choir Conductor, polygender** Courtesy of my friend Frankie (who's too lazy to get an account, apparently) **  
** **Jack ?, Ultimate ?, male** Courtesy of RestinDarkness


	9. Act 1-2

**Act 1-2  
** _ **Pages as White as Snow**_

It's been almost a week since they'd first arrived. As agreed, it'd become a routine to head to the lobby around midday. It only took about five to ten minutes for everyone to arrive; sometimes longer when Rie, Ray, Aimi, or whoever else decided to go outside.

After that first day, they'd all decided to properly explore the Lodge, though it was quickly realized that quite a few doors had been locked. Likewise, while they could roam about outside, certain areas had also been blocked off. To the disappointment of the more active ones of the group, the ski lift had also been blocked off, though somehow or another it was still running, and the ice skating rink was fenced in, the only entrance a shed area that probably contained all the skiing, snowboarding, and skating equipment.

In total, they'd found seven available areas: the Lobby, the Library, the Kitchen, the Dining Room, the Dormitory, the Deck, and a joint Laundry/Trash room.

If Kasumi were being honest, she was somewhat bored. Nothing had really happened since Monokuma's little "introduction ceremony", as she'd taken to calling it.

At the moment, she was lying across one of the many armchairs in the lobby, her sock-covered feet twitching atop the back and her head hanging off the edge, curly black hair falling to the floor. She wore her usual clothes of black leggings and her white t-shirt had been replaced by an equally large white sweater, a sheep drawn on it in purple. Her hands were crossed over her journal, which lay face down on her stomach.

She stared at the upside down world with half-lidded eyes, playing with the pencil between her nose and top lip. It wiggled with her mouth in an absent-minded thought.

Ray and Yuhei had gotten into an argument after the former had tried to take his headphones. At this point, however, it really was just the two taking out all their pent up frustrations and fears on each other. Not that she could blame them; they weren't the only ones getting antsy.

Ruiza and Rie spent more and more time running around for whatever reason. But without any sort of gym or exercise area, they'd taken to using couches as weight lifts and the ceiling like monkey bars. Irja spent more time writing and interviewing people—sometimes about the weirdest things—and Celi was spending more time with their birds.

On that note, about three days ago, they'd found out that the title of "Ultimate Choir Conductor" was truthfully a little misleading. All those birds around them… That was the choir they conducted. A bird choir, as it seemed, though Kasumi had to admit the birds sounded lovely. She was pretty sure one of the other musicians had listened in more than once for inspiration.

"You're the one who keeps staring all the time, you creep!"

"Well I'm not looking at your mug because you're pretty, Stark."

They glared at each other for a moment, and Kasumi couldn't help rolling her eyes. On the other hand, she wasn't about to stop them. It was the most entertaining thing that had happened all day.

"Oh, come on guys." Mikala popped up between the two, swinging an arm around both of them in an almost overly friendly manner. He grinned in a placating manner. "Just kiss and make up, yeah?"

Both turned their glares to him, and in unison replied scathingly, " _No._ "

The black-haired teen laughed nervously, removing his arms and backing away with his hands raised. "Alright, alright. Geez."

"Really, you are all so loud." Amelia piped up as she came into the room, though she was smiling. Her right eye was blue today—or at least, for now. They'd all learned pretty quickly that she had more contacts than she let on, and she changed the right one often, sometimes even several times a day. The colors they'd seen so far included white, red, blue, and yellow.

"Like you're one to talk." Ray snorted, crossing his arms almost smugly.

She raised her nose at him. "Think about your own flaws before you criticize me."

"You mean like this?" Mikala's voice was heard, and Amelia's skirt flew up. "Really? I expected this on Hayaikawa or something." He raised an eyebrow, and Amelia flushed as she rounded on him, heel coming in first. Her oversized combat boots nearly made contact with his face when Mikala jumped to the side, getting a kick to the side instead.

He rolled onto the ground, groaning in an almost exaggerated manner as he clutched the impact point. "Damn… that hurt." He grumbled, sitting up with a grimace. "How much do those boots weigh?"

Amelia glared, though it was Aimi who came in with a flying kick from the ceiling, aimed for Mikala's face.

He dodged, leaping to the side and narrowly avoiding the pink and white trainers. "Hey! Stop aiming for my face! It's my only selling point!"

And that's how they dragged Aimi, Amelia, and Mikala into the argument.

"Why can't people be quieter when I'm trying to read?" Alex sighed, shutting the book in his hands as he trudged in from the doorway leading to the deck. He wore a white hoodie and black snow pants, a snowflake design on the right leg. He pulled off his boots in the doorway, tucking his book under his arm as he pulled off the red gloves on his hands and unwrapped the equally red scarf from around his neck.

"What's that supposed to mean? You were outside." Ray was the first to turn to him, though the others quickly followed suit. Mostly, anyways. Aimi wasn't about to let a pervert do whatever he wanted without supervision.

Alex gave him a look, but otherwise didn't speak opening the book in his hands again as he walked out of the room.

"It's almost noon." Yuhei pointed out as the Ultimate Bookworm walked past him.

Alex glanced at him briefly in acknowledgement. "I'm just going to change into some warm clothes." He replied, exiting the room.

Somehow or another, the argument quickly resumed, and Kasumi sighed. This was starting to get boring again.

When noon came around, it took another five minutes or so for everyone to actually arrive, finally calming the argument some. Irja, as always now, was the one to do the headcount.

"Thirteen… fourteen… fifteen. Okay, we're all here."

"GREAT~! Then I can finally speak! Upupupupupu~!"

Everyone startled, looking around with raised guards. Flipping up from out of nowhere, Monokuma landed on the coffee table in the center of the room, and in the center of attention. He raised a paw, placing the other one on his hip in a dramatic pose.

"Ta-da~! It's been awhile!" He wiggled his hips in a little dance. "Did ya miss me?"

"You're…!"

"Thaaat's right! Your beary sexy Headmaster has returned! Upupupupupu~!" When he laughed, it was with his paws holding his stomach and his mouth wide open.

"What do you want?" Mikala growled, and Monokuma waved a paw at him disapporivingly.

"Haven't you ever learned to respect your elders, Mimi?" Mikala glared at the bear, who sighed once more in disapproval, shaking his head almost sadly. "But more importantly, why are you all being so boring!" The end of his sentence was more guttural, like the growling voice that was expected from him.

"What do you… mean…?" Celinel asked, shrinking into themselves a little bit as Monokuma turned his attention on them.

"I _mean_ , where's all the slicing and dicing and clubbing and smashing and killing?! You've got the place, the means, the people—" The bear froze, and the hair on the back of everyone's neck stood on end as he began cackling.

"Um… What's so funny?" Rie asked, and the bear began cackling even harder.

"Sorry, I compleeetely forgot~!" He replied, wiping an invisible tear from his eye. "You don't have a motive! Well, I guess I'll have to provide one for you~! Check out your rooms later! I provided you with a present~! Upupupupupu~!" He laughed some more, disappearing from the room as quickly as he'd arrived.

* * *

Throughout the rest of the day, everyone refused to go to their rooms, until night fell and they were eventually forced to head to bed.

As Monokuma had proclaimed, Kasumi found what looked to be a folder sitting on her bed. She opened it, finding a photograph and a letter attached.

She recognized the short, curly black hair of her mother and the brown mop top of her step father. They were smiling—or they would be, if not for the large red X's over their faces. She glanced over the letter that had been attached.

 _If, within seven days,  
there is no murder in the Moon Mountain Winter Lodge,  
all families and relatives of the fifteen students residing in the Lodge  
will perish very painful and bloody deaths.  
~Your Loving Headmaster, Monokuma_

The next day, when everyone gathered just before noon at the lobby, only fourteen students arrived.

* * *

 **So, we finally get to the fun part~! ^^ I hadn't actually planned updating this story today, but I couldn't help myself. (I really need to update King of Hearts though...) I hope you enjoyed the last bit of peace for awhile, and see if you can guess who the victim and/or killer is! ;)**

 **Kasumi Nikki, Ultimate Diary Keeper, female** **  
** **Yuhei Kuza, Ultimate Lip Reader, male** Courtesy of Reapergenesis32 **  
** **Raymond "Ray" Bishop Stark, Ultimate DJ, male** Courtesy of Oscar – The Undead Brony  
 **Ruiza Maria Andrade (El Torbellino Dorado), Ultimate Luchador, female** Courtesy of dashunterman  
 **Rie Hayaikawa, Ultimate Circus Performer, female** Courtesy of SpectralTriangle  
 **Amelia (Von) Ebers, Ultimate Classical Composer, female** Courtesy of TheLaughingStone **  
** **Alex Nagamine, Ultimate Bookworm, male** Courtesy of Alex The God Killer  
 **Jonathan Junmaru, Ultimate Procrastinator, male** Courtesy of Mechblade007 **  
** **Makoto Kudou, Ultimate Forensic Scientist, male** Courtesy of Starnightking  
 **Irja Sari Kokkonen, Ultimate Investigative Journalist, female** Courtesy of Lupus Overkill  
 **Aimi Kimiko Chieko, Ultimate Acrobat, female** Courtesy of SatoIchinose **  
** **Mikala Kaimi Nuri, Ultimate Cosmetologist, male** **  
** **Vergil, Ultimate Friend, male** Courtesy of lVergil  
 **Celinel Frischt, Ultimate Choir Conductor, polygender** Courtesy of my friend Frankie (who's too lazy to get an account, apparently) **  
** **Jack ?, Ultimate ?, male** Courtesy of RestinDarkness


	10. Act 1-3

**Act 1-3  
** _ **Pages As White As Snow**_

Irja did a head count for the third time, looking openly pale, despite her efforts in keeping calm and composed. "Twelve… Thirteen… Fourteen…" She grimaced, looking about. "I suppose, for now, we should all split up into groups and look for the missing person."

Everyone murmured their agreements, the normally rowdy group unusually subdued. They split up quietly, Irja leading out Kasumi, Yuhei, and Celinel.

They checked the dorms first, knocking on each door, and when no one answered, peeking inside. They repeated this for all eighteen rooms, finding no one in any of the above.

"…Perhaps they're… in the bathroom…?" Celi suggested. No one answered, all hoping for that to be true, but knowing somewhere in the backs of their minds that it was not to be the case.

The foursome had just closed the door to Ray's room when there was a crackling of a hidden speaker.

"Bing, bang, bahng, bong~!"Monokuma's voice sang cheerily, and everyone in the lodge froze where they stood. "Everyone please head to the lobby~! I have an announcement to make!"

The four looked at one another, a feeling of uneasiness arising between them. Of course, they couldn't do much but follow instructions.

* * *

They were the last to arrive, Monokuma grinning more than usual.

"What happened?" Several people looked startled as Kasumi spoke, as if just realizing she was there.

"Who are you?" Mikala gave her an inquisitive look, bordering on suspicious, and Kasumi sighed inwardly.

"Kasumi Nikki, Ultimate Diary Keeper," she replied monotonously, but her response seemed to be forgotten in favor of Monokuma.

"Well, I'm sure you all know by now, but **Aimi Chieko was killed.** " His leer seemed to grow in size, much more threatening than before, some of the more timid of the group cowering under his gaze.

"But… who killed her?"

The bear laughed gleefully, a sound that added further to the shock and terror permeating the Lodge. "Oh, I'm sure you know~!" He sang, putting on an innocent pose and tone of voice, though somehow or another it was more terrifying than innocent. "The killer is among you all!"

If there had been any noise, it would have been silenced, as the realization for the first time truly sank in. All fourteen students looked amongst themselves, not quite wanting to believe it.

After all, one of them… a killer?

"What's wrong?" Monokuma asked, shattering the silence with the sharp anvil of a bark of laughter. "Y'all look like Bigfoot just ate the last piece of pie. Isn't like I said from the very beginning? In order to leave, **someone in this group killed Aimi Chieko!** "

"But that's…" Rie murmured, hand cupped over her mouth as if in an attempt to hold in the shock.

"Horrible? Malicious? Dastardly? Evil?" Monokuma suggested, and if he had an eyebrow, he would be raising it. "It's in the rules, so there's nothing wrong with that."

"So then… Someone really is…?"

Irja pursed her lips, pale but still keeping her calm. "So then, what happens now? Does the killer get to graduate?"

Instead of answering, Monokuma burst into laughter, holding his stomach and throwing his head back.

"Upupupupupupupupu~! Naïve! Do you really think it's so easy to graduate? That all you have to do is kill somebody?" Everyone looked taken aback, some physically stepping back.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Monokuma laughed some more before abruptly glaring at the speaker. "I _mean,_ the main event is just starting!"

"Main event…?"

Monokuma sighed exaggeratedly. "Haven't any of you read the rules?" When he was greeted with silence, he shook his head. "Fine, let me explain the supplementary rules regarding Graduation. the fact that **someone must kill another to graduate** remains unchanged, but…"

"There is another clause that must be checked." Alex finished quietly, and Monokuma gave a toothy (or rather, toothier) grin.

"Correct!" Monokuma pulled out an ElectroiD from midair, tapping a few buttons before holding it out before everyone. A holographic screen popped up, and the bear spun it around so everyone could see it.

* * *

 **Rule 6**

 **Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes "blackened" will graduate.  
However, they must not let any other student know they are the culprit.**

* * *

"See?" Monokuma said, pointing it out. "It's no good just killing. You gotta hide what you've done from everyone else!" He became extremely animated as he said this, waving his arms about for a moment before calming down. "So, in order to judge whether that was accomplished or not is a 'Snow Trial' session which will be enacted a short time after a killing occurs! This Trial will commence a few hours after a murder takes place! It'll be a battle between the 'Blackened' who committed the murder and the 'Whites' – the rest of you lot!"

Monokuma snickered, tossing away the ID in his hands, where it landed in some unknown corner of the lobby.

"During the trial, you get a chance to debate amongst yourselves who among you is the hidden killer. The result is decided by a vote held at the end of the trial. And if the answer you reach is the correct one…" He paused in a suspenseful way. "The culprit that disrupted public order will be **punished** , and the rest of you can go on living your lives!"

"And if we vote wrong?" Irja was the only one brave enough to voice the question.

"Upupupupu~! Then the real culprit who committed the crime stays alive, but the rest of you will be **punished**!" Monokuma beamed. "Those are the rules of the Snow Trial~!"

Irja frowned, contemplating something for a moment before speaking up again. "What exactly does this 'punishment' entail?"

"Upupupupu~! Why, it's an **execution** of course! Zap-zap in the electric chair! Choke-choke from poison gas! Maybe I'll throw your body down a cliff or bury you alive in an avalanche! To summarize, our court is just like the jury systems in world courts. It is up to you to decide who the culprit is! But don't worry! I've added everything I just said to your list of school rules."

* * *

 **System message posted:**

 **The list of school rules has been updated. They can be checked from the ID Menu screen.**

* * *

"Well then, you all understand, right? I'll see you lot at the Snow Trial~!" Monokuma disappeared laughing, and it took Kasumi to startle everyone back into action again.

"He's giving us several hours to investigate. We need to see Chieko-san's body." Her words took a few moments to sink in, but several nodded after awhile, shifting in place.

"I-I'll take you there." Ray seemed shocked out of his shock, steps faltering before he moved. He was a deathly pale, and looked unsteady on his feet, but no one said anything, too absorbed in their own thoughts.

They stopped in front of the doors to the library. No one was willing to open it.

* * *

 **So, slightly abrupt ending and no bloody scenes quite yet. Sorry about that, but I completely forgot about explanations, and it's a lot harder than it looks coming up with just the right murder. :P When I do, though, things will go by a lot faster. ^^**

 **For now, though, I hope you enjoyed! Things starting next chapter will be much, much more exciting~!**

 **Kasumi Nikki, Ultimate Diary Keeper, female** **  
** **Yuhei Kuza, Ultimate Lip Reader, male** Courtesy of Reapergenesis32 **  
** **Raymond "Ray" Bishop Stark, Ultimate DJ, male** Courtesy of Oscar – The Undead Brony  
 **Ruiza Maria Andrade (El Torbellino Dorado), Ultimate Luchador, female** Courtesy of dashunterman  
 **Rie Hayaikawa, Ultimate Circus Performer, female** Courtesy of SpectralTriangle  
 **Amelia (Von) Ebers, Ultimate Classical Composer, female** Courtesy of TheLaughingStone **  
** **Alex Nagamine, Ultimate Bookworm, male** Courtesy of Alex The God Killer  
 **Jonathan Junmaru, Ultimate Procrastinator, male** Courtesy of Mechblade007 **  
** **Makoto Kudou, Ultimate Forensic Scientist, male** Courtesy of Starnightking  
 **Irja Sari Kokkonen, Ultimate Investigative Journalist, female** Courtesy of Lupus Overkill  
Aimi Kimiko Chieko, Ultimate Acrobat, female _Courtesy of SatoIchinose_ **  
** **Mikala Kaimi Nuri, Ultimate Cosmetologist, male** **  
** **Vergil, Ultimate Friend, male** Courtesy of lVergil  
 **Celinel Frischt, Ultimate Choir Conductor, polygender** Courtesy of my friend Frankie (who's too lazy to get an account, apparently) **  
** **Jack ?, Ultimate ?, male** Courtesy of RestinDarkness


	11. Act 1-4

**Act 1-4  
** _ **Pages As White As Snow**_

Kasumi was the first to open the doors to the library.

It seemed normal at first, peaceful, as if nothing had happened. Ray hesitantly led them all to the back, where the reference section was located.

* * *

 **The body lay face down on the red carpeting, and if not for the blood coating the back of her head, she would've looked like she was sleeping. She was sprawled out along the ground, her face deathly white with pallor mortis. The shelves around her were sprayed with flecks of blood. Her right hand, with all fingers were all curled in, with the exception of the ring finger, which was coated in blood. It lay at the end of a** _ **dying message**_ **: the number 19.**

* * *

Everyone showed varying levels of shock. Alex refused to look at the body for too long, and though she appeared to be taking it well at first glance, Amelia was on the verge of panic. Kasumi didn't give any outward reaction, while Mikala covered his mouth, looking as if he might be sick. Yuhei and Rie screamed, stumbling backwards, and Jonathan seemed emotionally shaken. Celinel had completely frozen up, with the exception of a single hand waving frantically, causing the birds around them fluttering about.

Ruiza looked down, clenching her fists and squeezing her eyes shut. " _Ay dios mío... muerte..."_

Vergil closed his eyes sadly; murmuring what sounded like, "Rest in peace."

Irja slumped against the bookshelves, tears leaking out despite her attempt to keep them trapped behind her eyelids. Jack stayed far away from the scene, but rather than being repulsed or shocked by the sight, it seemed more like he simply wasn't interested.

Kasumi was the first to speak upon the sight. "We don't have time to mourn the dead. We have to fight for our own lives first."

Mikala, taking a few deep breaths, nodded. "Sh-She's right. W-We… We need to find the culprit."

The Ultimate Diary Keeper looked at the group with an almost eerie calmness. "We should start with alibis. The ElectroiDs have more detailed information on the corpse if you don't want to see it directly."

She took out her own for emphasis, flicking to an app on the tablet. When she opened it, a hologram popped up displaying several pieces of information.

* * *

 **The victim is Aimi Kimiko Chieko.  
The time of death is from 7:30 AM to 12:00 PM.  
The body was found in the Library.  
Cause of death is a blow to the back of the head by a blunt object.**

* * *

"…The Ultimate Forensic Scientist should be able to give us some more information." Irja spoke, having spent the last few minutes gathering herself together, though even then she looked extremely shaken.

Makoto, around that point, had entered the room. He'd apparently fallen asleep while heading there with everyone else, and as he'd been in the back of the group, and those also in the back of the group either hadn't noticed or hadn't bothered to wake him up.

Everyone looked at him expectantly, and Makoto raised an eyebrow, stepping forward to see what everyone was gathered around. When he saw the corpse, he shrieked.

"H-Hey, th-that's… That's bl-blood! W-What should w-we do?! Are they okay?! Sho-should we help them?! I-I don't know what to do!" He stuttered, feet moving backwards almost of their own accord.

He received several strange looks as a result. "A-Aren't you the Ultimate Forensic Scientist? Why are you freaking out over blood?" Mikala asked with a raised brow.

Makoto jumped, turning away perhaps too quickly from the body. "I-I… I'm afraid of bl-blood, okay?" He snapped in return, fingers trembling as he took a piece of candy from his pocket and popped it in his mouth.

Kasumi sighed. She really didn't like being in the spotlight so much. "Chieko-san died somewhere between 7:30 this morning and noon. We noticed she was missing around noon. Kokkonen-san, Kuza-san, Frischt-san, and I were checking out the dorms."

"Rie, Makoto, _y yo_ searched outside." Ruiza added.

"I checked out the dining room and the kitchen with Jack and Vergil." Amelia continued.

"…A-And Junmaru, Stark, Nagamine and I came to the library and found…" Mikala gestured at the crime scene before them.

By this point, Irja had regained some sense of herself again, taking deep breaths before joining in on the conversation. "Th-Then we need to establish who was where during that period of time."

Kasumi, Yuhei, Celi, and those who had somewhat calmed down gave a nod in agreement.

"I spent the entire day in the lobby. Kuza-san and Wright-san were there as well. Neither left the room for more than five minutes at a time." Kasumi replied, receiving a somewhat shaky nod of confirmation from both Yuhei and Vergil.

At this point, both Irja and Kasumi began scribbling things down, though it was Irja who presented it to the rest of the group. It was a list of all fifteen students; Aimi's name was crossed out, and the names of Kasumi, Yuhei, and Vergil had their alibis written beside them. In addition, Irja had written down alibis for herself, Ruiza, and Rie; the three of them had been in the kitchen cooking all morning, preparing for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

"U-Um… I was on… the deck with… my birds and… Amelia…" Celinel spoke up quietly, and Amelia gave a curt nod.

"We were out there from nine to noon. Before that I was in the kitchen eating breakfast." The Ultimate Classical Composer explained curtly.

"Alex and I were in the library from 7:30 to 9:45." It was Jonathan that spoke next. "I joined the girls in the kitchen after that."

Alex shrugged. "I went to my room."

"I was outside all morning, checking out the ski lift and stuff." Ray added, crossing his arms almost defiantly.

"Can anyone confirm that?" Irja looked at the others, but everyone shook their head.

Mikala shifted uncomfortably where he stood when several pairs of eyes turned to him. "I, uh… stopped by the dining room for breakfast at about ten, and was in my room after that until noon."

They turned next to Jack, but at a stare, no one bothered to question him.

Kasumi sighed, though her pen was still moving in a miraculous feat of multitasking. "Then Nagamine-san, Nuri-san, Jack-san, and Stark-san all have unconfirmed alibis at the time of the murder."

The Ultimate Cosmetologist started, eyebrows furrowed as he snapped in protest. "W-Wait? We're not suspects, are we?"

The fourteen year old fixed him with a piercing stare, and he backed down. "We have our suspects. We need now our means."

Irja sighed, taking another deep breath to keep calm before proceeding. "Then… I suppose we should start investigating."

* * *

 **Sorry for the lateness of this one, but you would not believe how hard it was to find something that satisfied me personally. (Damn you Detective Conan….) But I think I can work with this. Not what I would've preferred exactly, but I can work with this.**

 **So that was the murder, and next chapter will be the investigation, and after should be the Trial. Since this is the first murder, it's a little more spread out, but in later cases I may or may not combine the murder and (at least most) the investigation into one chapter. We'll see.**

 **Also, tell me what you guys think about the murderer? Take a guess! :3 Who do you think it is?  
Your answers will be affecting how the Trials and Investigations go~!**

 **Kasumi Nikki, Ultimate Diary Keeper, female** **  
** **Yuhei Kuza, Ultimate Lip Reader, male** Courtesy of Reapergenesis32 **  
** **Raymond "Ray" Bishop Stark, Ultimate DJ, male** Courtesy of Oscar – The Undead Brony  
 **Ruiza Maria Andrade (El Torbellino Dorado), Ultimate Luchador, female** Courtesy of dashunterman  
 **Rie Hayaikawa, Ultimate Circus Performer, female** Courtesy of SpectralTriangle  
 **Amelia (Von) Ebers, Ultimate Classical Composer, female** Courtesy of TheLaughingStone **  
** **Alex Nagamine, Ultimate Bookworm, male** Courtesy of Alex The God Killer  
 **Jonathan Junmaru, Ultimate Procrastinator, male** Courtesy of Mechblade007 **  
** **Makoto Kudou, Ultimate Forensic Scientist, male** Courtesy of Starnightking  
 **Irja Sari Kokkonen, Ultimate Investigative Journalist, female** Courtesy of Lupus Overkill  
Aimi Kimiko Chieko, Ultimate Acrobat, female _Courtesy of SatoIchinose_ **  
** **Mikala Kaimi Nuri, Ultimate Cosmetologist, male** **  
** **Vergil, Ultimate Friend, male** Courtesy of lVergil  
 **Celinel Frischt, Ultimate Choir Conductor, polygender** Courtesy of my friend Frankie (who's too lazy to get an account, apparently) **  
** **Jack ?, Ultimate ?, male** Courtesy of RestinDarkness


	12. Act 1-5

**Act** **1-5  
 _Pages As White As Snow_  
**

 **I want to warn you ahead of time, but for investigations, there will be a lot of skipping around with POVs due to the whole investigation and differing roles in Investigating. This will be the case for probably every investigation chapter in the future.**

* * *

Mikala and Makoto—once someone was able to calm him down—were the main ones to investigate the crime scene and the body itself, with some help from Jonathan, after he'd gone around helping those incapacitated by shock, fear, or a mixture of the two. Ruiza, not really into the whole investigating portion, helped to guard the crime scene, keeping a sharp eye out for anyone who looked as if they might be trying to tamper with the crime scene.

Everyone else split up, gathering accounts from one another on the events leading up to the murder, as well as looking about the rest of the Lodge for any more potential evidence. Jack disappeared to who knew where on his own, though the rest split up into twos or threes. Amelia refused to partake in the investigation itself, answering questions and inquiring about the evidence found so far. Alex refused to enter the library at all, making apparent his dislike for the death.

* * *

Kasumi wandered around the area, not particularly doing much, seeing as most of it was covered at the moment. Rather, she watched the others; their reactions, movements, habits. Alex was fidgeting with his book more often than usual, and Makoto was still unnaturally pale. Ray still looked sick, and Irja a bit emotionally unstable.

She knelt down in the Dorm Hall, peering over her knees at the floor. It was hard to notice due to the red color of the carpet, but it appeared to be stained a darker color. Blood, she figured.

Kasumi looked up to see Jack exiting one of the dorm rooms, carefully. He smirked, seeming not to care that she was present as he left the area.

* * *

Ruiza watched the three boys doing their thing—well, mostly Makoto, with Mikala there largely to keep him from going into panic mode again. Jonathan looked around the rest of the library, even going so far as to pull books from the shelves. He was perhaps one of the only ones actually wearing gloves while investigating.

Her eyebrows rose at the sight of blood, a bit on the corner of each book. Jonathan seemed to notice it as well, as he took another look at each of the books before setting them back, not saying anything to the others.

She didn't get the chance to question him, as Irja entered the room, her eyes trying not to look at the body as she called Mikala to another part of the library. Ruiza watched, out of ear shot, but nonetheless.

* * *

"You never mentioned where you were before 10 o'clock this morning." She looked at Mikala, hand surreptitiously holding a recorder by her side.

Mikala pressed his lips together, eyes flickering off to the sides. He didn't say anything, and Irja crossed her arms. She understood he didn't want to throw himself into more of a corner, seeing as everyone suspected him as it was, but this was necessary evidence they needed for the investigation.

After another few minutes of silence, the blonde sighed, stopping the recorder and putting it away. "You know, it's fine if we don't talk. If you don't feel the need to say anything, then don't." Mikala looked as if he wanted to say something, so she paused, but when he didn't speak up, she sighed again, nodding to him before leaving.

* * *

Alex sat in the lobby, staring at a page in a book, not any particular one, fingers twitching nervously before he finally turned the page. Amelia stood nearby, speaking softly with Rie and Celinel about the case and what's been found so far.

Jack had walked in the room at one point, glancing around before leaving just as quickly. Before he had left, however, Alex had made eye contact with him, the latter smirking at him and nodding as he left.

While Alex wasn't entirely sure what he had meant by doing that, the action had sent chills down his spine. Whoever Jack was supposed to be, it wasn't anyone friendly.

* * *

The bell signaling an announcement rang throughout the building and all the students looked up, tension stringing itself taut throughout the building.

"Ehhh…." Monokuma's voice came through the speakers. "I'm getting bored… We should start the show, don't ya think?" He laughed, a sound full of glee that sent chills down spines. "The school trial everyone is waiting for~!" He laughed some more, longer this time, and they took a sharp breath. "Well then, let me announce the gathering place! Please go in the big red doors on the deck. Upupu… See y'all soon!"

The speakers shut off with a click, and several people grimaced. Nonetheless, they all made their way to the deck.

* * *

 _ **Moon Mountain Winter Lodge – Deck**_

 _ **A large, wide expanse of polished wood that's clean of snow with the exception of the railing. The deck wraps around what seems to be the entire Lodge, with the exception of most of the north and east sides. Halfway around the east side, the deck stops, and a set of stairs leads down to a barely visible cobblestone path that leads to the other outside areas. Halfway around the north side, the deck turns away from the side of the Lodge and stops just before a large cliff.  
The south side of the deck is wider than the rest, and a fire pit sits in the center. Various outdoor chairs, coffee and side tables, and couches with red cushions are placed around the deck, though most of them are gathered around the fire pit. The deck connects to the lobby through a large window and glass doors, from which is visible the lobby. Just off to the right of the large window, by the stairs, is a large red door.**_

* * *

The fourteen students all stood somewhat uncomfortably around the deck, a couple shivering in the cold. Kasumi entered first, pushing open the door to find a long staircase. She made her way down without hesitation.

Ray and Irja followed next, with Ruiza and Rie close behind. Amelia looked reluctant, but she too went down the stairs. Alex, Makoto, Jonathan, and Vergil joined her. Jack passed the remaining three, glancing at them with an electric blue eye before gliding silently down the stairs.

Yuhei made to go down, but he was held back by a hand on his arm. Mikala gave him a pleading look, and he stopped.

Celinel glanced at Yuhei and Mikala, looking between the two of them somewhat questioningly. "Well… I'll be heading down first…"

After Celi had gone, Yuhei turned to the dark-haired Romanian, raising an eyebrow. "What did you want Nuri?"

Mikala pressed his lips together, looking down and somewhere off to the side for several moments before speaking again. He still had yet to remove his hand from the other's arm. "Can I trust you?" He asked, eyes flickering from a spot on the ground to Yuhei's eyes and back. "You won't… won't say I did it unless you're absolutely sure?"

The Ultimate Lip Reader glanced over Mikala's facial features, flickering to his lips when he spoke. "You didn't do it." It wasn't a question. The Cosmetologist nodded, and seemed to relax slightly, letting his hand drop from the other's arm.

A grim smile tugged at his lips. "Thanks, Kuza. You're not as bad as I thought you were." Yuhei rolled his eyes, and the two headed down the steps.

* * *

 **Wow, okay, I suck. Yeah, I missed a week. Or two. Within the next week I'll be updating more frequently to catch up with what I've missed. Though, with Christmas coming up there are things happening. Also, cryst, murders. And Ghost Adventures. Things are happening.**

 **Also, I probably already said this in the next chapter, but just because of the way this murder/trial/investigation turned out, I ended up writing both the investigation chapter and the trial chapter at the same time, though this chapter is significantly shorter, if only because a lot of things are conceptual, and the rest is evidence that I can't reveal yet because of plot reasons. :P**

 **Kasumi Nikki, Ultimate Diary Keeper, female** **  
** **Yuhei Kuza, Ultimate Lip Reader, male** Courtesy of Reapergenesis32 **  
** **Raymond "Ray" Bishop Stark, Ultimate DJ, male** Courtesy of Oscar – The Undead Brony  
 **Ruiza Maria Andrade (El Torbellino Dorado), Ultimate Luchador, female** Courtesy of dashunterman  
 **Rie Hayaikawa, Ultimate Circus Performer, female** Courtesy of SpectralTriangle  
 **Amelia (Von) Ebers, Ultimate Classical Composer, female** Courtesy of TheLaughingStone **  
** **Alex Nagamine, Ultimate Bookworm, male** Courtesy of Alex The God Killer  
 **Jonathan Junmaru, Ultimate Procrastinator, male** Courtesy of Mechblade007 **  
** **Makoto Kudou, Ultimate Forensic Scientist, male** Courtesy of Starnightking  
 **Irja Sari Kokkonen, Ultimate Investigative Journalist, female** Courtesy of Lupus Overkill  
Aimi Kimiko Chieko, Ultimate Acrobat, female _Courtesy of SatoIchinose_ **  
** **Mikala Kaimi Nuri, Ultimate Cosmetologist, male** **  
** **Vergil, Ultimate Friend, male** Courtesy of lVergil  
 **Celinel Frischt, Ultimate Choir Conductor, polygender** Courtesy of my friend Frankie (who's too lazy to get an account, apparently) **  
** **Jack ?, Ultimate ?, male** Courtesy of RestinDarkness


	13. Act 1-6

**Act 1-6  
** _ **Pages As White As Snow**_

 _ **Moon Mountain Winter Lodge – Courtroom**_

 _ **A spacious room with red carpeting and walls covered in heavy red drapes. In the center of the room is what looks to be a circle of sixteen podiums, each with a name engraved in the wood. On the other side of the room, behind the sixteenth podium, is a tall throne. The sixteenth podium had no name engraved in it.  
Starting from the podium directly to the right of the sixteenth, the engraved names are Ray, Amelia, Yuhei, Mikala, Celinel, Jonathan, Irja, Kasumi, Jack, Aimi, Rie, Ruiza, Makoto, Alex, and Vergil. Where Aimi's podium is sits a black-and-white photo of the Ultimate Acrobat.**_

* * *

Monokuma lounged atop the throne on the other side of the room, watching as everyone found their place.

"Upupupu~! Took you long enough!" He sang, grinning. "Whaddya think of my courtroom? The scenery is on par with Hollywood, isn't it?"

The bear's only responses were several heated glares directed at him.

Monokuma sighed dramatically. "Y'all are so boooring…. Well, let's start with a simple explanation of our resort trial!" He snickered, sitting upright on his throne before speaking.

"The result of the trial is decided by your own votes. If the correct culprit is chosen, they alone will be punished. If the wrong person is voted for, everyone but the culprit will be punished. Instead, the culprit alone, having managed to fool everybody, will get to graduate!"

Irja looked around at the placements of the seats before speaking up. "Is there a particular reason for the sixteenth podium when there are only fifteen of us?"

Monokuma seemed to roll his eyes. "Nah, no meaning to it. A circle just looks better with an even number, doesn't it? Well then, we're finished with the preparations. So let's start already! Go on, let the debates begin!"

"I think its best we start with the cause of death." Irja spoke up first, flipping open her notebook to a specific page.

No one raised any objections, so the Ultimate Investigative Journalist looked expectantly towards Makoto, who nodded shakily.

"The victim," he winced as he said that, "d-died of a blow to the head by a blunt object."

"And the murder weapon was a chair, right?" Amelia asked, crossing her arms.

"Wrong," Kasumi spoke, but no one appeared to have heard, and she sighed.

Yuhei caught on, speaking up in her stead. "That's incorrect. It was the corner of one of the Encyclopedias."

"Encyclopedia?"

"They were in the bookshelves nearby." He explained, leaving the others to nod.

"Actually," Jonathan interjected, "all the encyclopedias had blood on the corners."

"Regardless, a book was the murder weapon. Can we please move on?" Mikala grumbled, crossing his arms and looking more than a little disturbed.

Celinel shook their head. "No… I think we should… clarify this…"

"Celinel's right. The specific murder weapon may be an indication to the killer. For instance, why would they try to hide it like that?"Irja pointed out, receiving a few murmurings.

"Maybe they didn't like the fact that only one book had blood on it? Like, they had a disorder or something." Ray suggested, receiving a raised eyebrow and a dubious look from Yuhei. The former scowled in return.

"More importantly," Amelia pointed out, giving Mikala a piercing gaze and crossing her arms accusingly. "Why do you sound so eager to move on from the subject? That's awfully suspicious of you."

Ray and Rie were the quickest to catch on, turning towards the Cosmetologist. "That's true. Out of all of us, you were on the worst terms with her."

Mikala gaped, quickly pulling himself back together to retort indignantly. "That doesn't mean anything! I might not have liked her much, but that doesn't mean I wanted to kill her!"

" _¡Esoestá mal!"_ Ruiza slammed her fist down on the podium before her. Rie seemed shocked, backing down quickly. "Do you have evidence?!"

"I do," Irja was unfazed by the others' shocked reactions, looking at Ruiza firmly before turning to a pale Mikala. She pulled out her ElectroiD, finding what she wanted and flipping the holograph into the center of the circle. "This was found in his room."

It was a book—ironically enough, a hardcover copy of _Crime and Punishment_ by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Like the encyclopedias, there was blood on the bottom-right corner.

"There's more blood on this book than the others, so I believe we can solve the question of the murder weapon as well." She explained, and everyone turned to Mikala, some shocked, others not.

"Wh-wh-what the hell!" He stuttered, glaring at no one in particular. "J-Just because you found that in my room doesn't mean anything! Someone could've planted it there!"

Kasumi raised an eyebrow. "He has a point. He does not read particularly thick books like that."

"Just because it's there doesn't mean it isn't yours either." Amelia retorted, her nose tilted just the slightest bit upwards. "You could've taken it from the library in a panic, and then come back later to confuse us about the murder weapon."

Mikala gripped the edge of the podium hard, his knuckles turning white and his fingertips turning red. "I didn't kill her! **I didn't even see Chieko today!** "

"You're lying," the Romanian's head snapped to the side, staring wide-eyed at Yuhei, "Your fingers twitched and your shoulder and back muscles seized up." He explained calmly, giving the other a steady look.

Irja turned to the Ultimate Cosmetologist. "When did you see her?"

He shrunk into himself where he stood, eyes shifting around him like a cornered animal. A minute was all it took for him to crack. "A-Alright, fine. I… I saw her this morning, a little after nine." He took a deep, shaky breath. "…I was on my way to breakfast, and I bumped into her. She apologized for earlier, and I did likewise. I-I asked her if she was getting breakfast, a-and after that it just evolved into some small talk. After that, she left, and I got food. That was it."

"What did you talk about?"

"What we were going to eat that day, like meals and stuff, and some of the stuff she did as an acrobat. Oh, a-and we got a little into numerology and stuff."

"Numerology?" Ray raised an eyebrow at him.

Mikala reacted like a cat, shoulders tensed defensively. "Wh-what? I had an occult phase!"

"So what does 19 stand for?" Irja asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"The number 1 can be the letter A, J, or S, and the number 9 is either I or R." He replied, chewing his lip. "I'm not sure which combination it could be though."

"The letters are SR." Everyone started in shock, for it was the first time Jack had spoken since he'd first introduced himself.

"S… R…?" Celinel murmured, looking towards Ray, who was looking white as a sheet.

"Stark, Raymond. Chieko-san was Japanese, so it would make sense. They put their last names first when introducing themselves." Alex pointed out, and Ray raised his hands defensively.

"D-Don't look at me! I didn't do it!" Upon receiving several skeptical looks, he added, "Besides, how do we know we can trust him?! He hasn't said a word until now!"

"Ray's right! He could be a mole, for all we know!" Mikala added, the two glaring at Jack.

There was a moment of silence, only to be interrupted by someone chuckling. The group of fourteen students stared wide-eyed at Jack, whose lips were twitching incessantly upwards as he began laughing harder, the sound rising in intensity and volume.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" He laughed, throwing his head back, an almost manic grin splitting his once emotionless face. "Allow me to properly introduce myself! My name is Jack, Jack Doe. But please feel free to call me YOUR MAJESTY! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

* * *

 **Jack Doe, Ultimate Bad Luck  
Male, 16 years old, American-Canadian  
Birthday: 13 March  
5'10" in height and approx. 130 lbs in weight  
Black hair with stubborn strand and electric blue eyes  
Likes despair, smoking, drinking, dark humor & theatre  
Dislikes hope, talented people, rainbows and unicorns, & 'Father'  
Eyepatch over right eye**

* * *

 **Surprised? :3 I've been really looking forward to writing Jack's true personality, just cause he's such a dick. xD I was skeptical of his talent at first, but RestinDarkness put so much work and detail in him that I sorta fell in love with him and couldn't not include him. Besides, I can do things with him~! ^^ Like Monokuma, but Jack's more involved.  
Anyways, I actually wrote most of this first and then wrote the actual investigation. :P It's a little weird, but damn I had a hard time with this for some reason. Also, the friggin' trial was so long that I ended up splitting it into two. So this is the first hopefully explains a little bit. Anyways, this is like an early Christmas present! :) **

**Kasumi Nikki, Ultimate Diary Keeper, female** **  
** **Yuhei Kuza, Ultimate Lip Reader, male** Courtesy of Reapergenesis32 **  
** **Raymond "Ray" Bishop Stark, Ultimate DJ, male** Courtesy of Oscar – The Undead Brony  
 **Ruiza Maria Andrade (El Torbellino Dorado), Ultimate Luchador, female** Courtesy of dashunterman  
 **RieHayaikawa, Ultimate Circus Performer, female** Courtesy of SpectralTriangle  
 **Amelia (Von) Ebers, Ultimate Classical Composer, female** Courtesy of TheLaughingStone **  
** **Alex Nagamine, Ultimate Bookworm, male** Courtesy of Alex The God Killer  
 **Jonathan Junmaru, Ultimate Procrastinator, male** Courtesy of Mechblade007 **  
** **Makoto Kudou, Ultimate Forensic Scientist, male** Courtesy of Starnightking  
 **Irja Sari Kokkonen, Ultimate Investigative Journalist, female** Courtesy of Lupus Overkill  
Aimi Kimiko Chieko, Ultimate Acrobat, female _Courtesy of SatoIchinose_ **  
** **Mikala Kaimi Nuri, Ultimate Cosmetologist, male** **  
** **Vergil, Ultimate Friend, male** Courtesy of lVergil  
 **Celinel Frischt, Ultimate Choir Conductor, polygender** Courtesy of my friend Frankie (who's too lazy to get an account, apparently) **  
** **Jack Doe, Ultimate Bad Luck, male** Courtesy of RestinDarkness


	14. Act 1-7

**Act 1-7  
** _ **Pages As White As Snow**_

Everyone was shocked, unable to move or really do much of anything in response to the revelation. Jack continued laughing for a minute longer, before it finally died down and he smiled at the others.

"Oh!" Monokuma interjected from his seat, going from looking sleepy to shocked in a matter of seconds. He clutched his chest in mock pain. "The ultimate reveal! I can't believe this!" He leered at the other students, his smile seeming to widen. "Are ya shocked? Angry? Terrified? I thought he'd be a good addition to our little crew. But don't worry your pretty little heads, he's not a mole." The bear covered his mouth with his paws, laughing. "Upupupupu~! He's in the same boat as the rest of you!"

Kasumi, unsurprised, was the first to speak up. With everyone silent, she was heard. "We need to find Chieko-san's killer before we can speak of anything else."

Mikala took a shaky breath, nodding. The others, at varying levels of shock and/or recovery, eventually followed suit.

Kasumi glanced at everyone before speaking again. "If SR does not mean Stark, Raymond, we need to find the true meaning."

Irja was the first to take the reins of the conversation. "Let's review what we've gathered so far. We know that **she died by a blow to the head** by a blunt object **in the library**. We've already clarified that **the murder weapon was a book; specifically, a copy of** _ **Crime and Punishment**_ **by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.** The killer put blood on the corner of the encyclopedias to confuse us, meaning that this particular book has some sort of important meaning as to who the killer is. There was also a **dying message left at the scene: the number 19.** "

As she spoke, the most important points of evidence popped up in holograms in the center of the room; pictures of the crime scene and of the murder weapon.

"Mikala said that **19** is a reference to numerology, and Jack clarified that it stood for the letters **SR**."

"But how can we trust him?" Rie asked, receiving several outbursts of agreement.

"He wasn't lying." Yuhei gave her a steady look before turning to an amused-looking Jack. "He showed no signs of lying when he said that." He clarified upon receiving several incredulous looks. "He was telling the truth."

Those looks turned skeptical, and the Lip Reader hid a sigh of frustration. "When people lie, they give away minute signs in their body movements and facial expressions."

Ray was the one that brought the conversation back on track. "So we know **19** means **SR**. Everyone has a confirmed alibi except for Alex, Jack, Mikala and I." He crossed his arms defiantly. "Though I can tell you that I'm definitely not the killer."

"Same here." Mikala piped up quickly.

Alex nodded absently, fingers tapping on the cover of his closed book. "Same."

Jack scoffed, hands on his hips as everyone turned to him. "And you think I'd do something as boring as bashing her head in? One of those three are the culprit…" He grinned, leaning forward with a feral grin and wild electric eyes that sent shivers down spines. "…and I know who it is~!" He sang, and everyone went into a shock, leaning forward in a flurry of questions. Jack laughed, howled. "Aw, you think I'm gonna tell you? Guess the killer will just have to live with the knowledge that I know, and I could rat them out at any minute~!" He put emphasis on every syllable, pronouncing the words playfully, though his intentions were most definitely not innocent in the slightest.

"Then we'll just have to figure it out for ourselves." Amelia snapped back, crossing her arms defiantly.

"Jack didn't kill her." Everyone turned once more to Yuhei, who seemed somewhat uncomfortable with the sudden attention, but continued speaking nonetheless. "That doesn't mean he didn't interfere somehow, of course."

Jack laughed, causing several people to startle, but didn't say anything otherwise.

Kasumi pursed her lips in thought, turning to her left to stare at Jack. "That is what you were doing. When I saw you in the dorm halls."

"I see," Alex spoke up, "You manipulated the evidence. You faked the dying message." Eyes widened at this comment. "You knew what it stood for because you were the one that wrote it."

Jack grinned wide. "Ding ding ding~! We have a winner! But…" He paused for dramatic effect, waiting until someone looked like they were about to snap at him before finishing his statement. "It's not just a random dying message. It has relevance! What does SR stand for that relates to gymnastics?"

Rie answered within the minute. "Still Rings, right?" When everyone looked at her, she brightened just a little bit, smiling sheepishly. "I do acrobatics," she said by way of explanation.

"Those are the ring things gymnasts use and swing from, right? What do Still Rings have to do with this?" Mikala asked, eyebrow raised.

Jack scoffed, but didn't give any sort of answer. Irja seemed to catch on, however, explaining it for the still thoroughly confused students, her hand holding onto her jaw thoughtfully. "It's not Still Rings in particular, but rings in general that he's referencing to. Since Aimi is the Ultimate Acrobat, it makes sense to relate it somehow to her occupation."

"What does it matter? Jack made it, so there's no point to it." Ray scoffed, crossing his arms.

Jack laughed loudly at his statement. "Who said it was pointless?"

"He did say he knew who the culprit was…"

"So, um…" Celinel spoke up quietly, absently petting the bird sitting on their shoulder. The rest had perched themselves somewhere nearby. "…Who here is related to rings…?"

Everyone began looking around, muttering. Kasumi and Irja flipped through their diary and notes, respectively, but Yuhei appeared to figure it out the fastest.

"Raymond Stark has a gold earring on his left ear; Rie Hayaikawa, being the Ultimate Circus Performer, would be able to perform gymnastics, and thus could also use Still Rings; and both Mikala Nuri and Alex Nagamine wear rings on their thumb."

Irja nodded in agreement. "And we've already ruled out Rie, so that leaves the three original suspects."

"Well that didn't help much. We're right back where we started."

"Why don't you just tell us who the culprit is already?!" Jack smirked, sipping on a mug of coffee.

Kasumi questioned when and how he got it.

"One little piggy went to the library, one little piggy did not. One little piggy was framed, and one little piggy went B, B, B, all the way to hell." He sang, out of tune and interrupted frequently by sips of coffee.

There was a moment of silence following his little song.

"…What. Was that."

Jack laughed, leaning against his podium and swirling his cup around. "Why so confused? I answered your question, didn't I?" his response caused tempers to flare, though they were interrupted by Vergil, who had rarely spoken since the Trial started.

"The 'piggies' represent the victim and the three suspects." Everyone went silent, looking at him expectantly. "The one that went to hell; that has to be the Aimi. Therefore, the one who went to the library was our culprit, and the third was framed."

"I was the one framed, right?" Mikala asked, an almost urgent tone in his voice. "Since Kokkonen found that book in my room. So the culprit has to be either Stark or Nagamine."

Ray crossed his arms defiantly, giving Mikala a hard look. "Well it definitely wasn't me."

Alex frowned. "It wasn't me either."

"One of you is lying." Yuhei retorted.

The four stared off defiantly, a silent battle of wills, and minutes passed as someone waited for the other to speak up. The tension was high in the air, until Monokuma sighed loudly from where he lay sideways in his chair. "I'm getting bored… Let's wrap this up already!"

"Why don't the both of you recount your alibis just one more time?" Amelia suggested, crossing her arms and looking pointedly at Alex and Ray.

They both looked disgruntled, but did so nonetheless.

"I was exploring the outside all morning until noon. Checking out the ski lift and ice skating rink and stuff." Ray grumbled.

"I was in the library with Jonathan from 7:30 to 9:45. After that I went to my room, and didn't leave until noon." Alex stated curtly.

Irja nodded, flipping through her notes. "And from the time you both were alone, there are no witnesses confirming this."

"But I didn't kill her. I didn't speak to her once today and barely even saw her!" Ray snapped.

"Same here."

Kasumi looked over at the two, speaking up and surprising several. "Out of curiosity, Nagamine-kun, when you left your room, did you notice anything unusual?"

He gave her a strange look. "No, why do you ask?"

She continued staring steadily at him, light blue eyes betraying nothing. "Surely you would've notice something. You are very perceptive after all." She pressed, and Alex's fingers tapped agitatedly on the cover of his book.

"W-Well, I think there was something, yes. Stark and Nuri's doors were somewhat open, but I didn't think anything of it at the time." Kasumi sighed, and it almost sounded like disappointment.

"Kokkonen-chan, Frischt-san, Kuza-kun. Did you notice anything strange when we looked around the dorms?"

They all shook their heads. "There was… nothing strange. Except…" Celinel paused, taking a moment to reflect before answering. "…Wasn't there blood on the carpet…?"

Kasumi gave the Ultimate Choir Conductor a smile—though really, it was nothing more than a twitch of the lips—and a nod. "That is correct. It was hard to see because of the color of the carpet, but there were droplets of blood. I saw Jack-san leaving one of the rooms, thus they came from whatever he was carrying."

Irja's eyes lit up in realization. "And we know that he messed with the evidence; in particular the murder weapon."

Jack laughed, and from the folds of his trench coat pulled out one of the many bloody encyclopedias. "Perhaps this will help~?" He sang, tossing it to Jonathan.

The Ultimate Procrastinator flipped through the book, and everyone watched him, no one but Kasumi noticing the way Alex's face began to pale. When he finally stopped, eyes widening, he inhaled sharply before showing the page to the rest of the students.

"This is **the real dying message** , isn't it?" The encyclopedia—the letters A, B, and C—had been flipped to the a section in B. A bloody fingerprint pointed to the word **bookworm**. Everyone turned to Alex, who opened his mouth to deny it, to say something to prove it wasn't him, but he crumpled.

"Why?"

Alex took a shuddering breath, closing his eyes for a moment to compose himself. "Monokuma's motive. _If, within seven days,_ _there is no murder in the Moon Mountain Winter Lodge,_ _all families and relatives of the fifteen students residing in the Lodge_ _will perish very painful and bloody deaths._ My family is all I have. I couldn't lose them."

"But why Aimi? Why did you attack her?"

His hands gripped the book tightly. "She was the one that insulted my family; my father. I… I lost it, after what Monokuma said. And I killed her."

Irja sighed, looking down at her notes with pursed lips. "So, in summary, you hit her with a book, killing her. She didn't die immediately, as she was able to create a dying message. Jack came and found the book, and decided to hit her with the rest of the encyclopedias and put them away to confuse us, as well as writing the fake dying message. Later, he retrieved the murder weapon and put it in Mikala's room to frame him. Is this correct?"

Alex shook his head quietly. "When I first hit her, she was still alive. I came back and… killed her, hitting her with the encyclopedias. Jack simply wrote the second dying message and stole the murder weapon."

Monokuma, looking very much asleep, woke up with a start, looking around. "Well, it appears we've come to a conclusion! That means it's ballot time~! Please vote for someone using the switch in front of you! You wouldn't want to be punished for something so silly, right~?" Monokuma laughed whimsically. "Who will you vote for? Who will it be? Will you be right, or oh so wrong~?"

Everyone looked around, but one by one, they reluctantly entered their votes.

A bright, colorful machine popped up in the center, the word VOTE in gold letters lit up on top. On all four sides, a section cordoned off by bright lights, labeled GUILTY, spun. A small, cartoon version of Alex's face appeared three times, and the entire machine lit up, blinking in a seizure-inducing way as little bouquets of plastic flowers popped out of the sides.

"Upupupu~! That is absolutely correct! Alex Nagamine, the Ultimate Bookworm, was the one to kill the Ultimate Acrobat, Aimi Chieko!" Monokuma sang, his tone entirely too happy for someone announcing the culprit of a murder.

It was at this point that Jack burst out laughing, and everyone turned to him with a sharp look. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I can't believe you still haven't realized it!" He laughed some more, and Alex glared at him.

"Realized what?"

Jack grinned at them. "She wasn't being insensitive when she said all that stuff. I was the one who told her! AHAHAHAHA! Her father treated her like dirt; it wasn't that hard to manipulate her thinking."

Everyone whirled around on him, but it was Alex whose eyes widened in anger.

"You…!"

"That's enough chit chat!" Monokuma interrupted, and he seemed to grin wider than usual. "It's time for the villain to get **punished**!"

Alex whirled around to face the bear, eyes widening in shock and fear. "W-Wait…! Wait a minute…!"

The bear ignored him, laughing. "Let's get this punishment started! Everyone's waiting! I've prepared a very special punishment for Alex Nagamine, the Ultimate Bookworm~!"

"W-Wait…"

"It's **Punishment Time** ~!"

 **So, sorry to end it there, but I didn't want it to end up too long. :P The execution and thus the end of Act 1 will all be next chapter.  
On that note, I'm so sorry for that impromptu hiatus after Christmas. Long story short, a lot of things happened, and I had little time. I still have people (most notably my parents) piling this after that on me, but it's less than before. I won't be back to the usual schedule, but I'm going to try to update more often from here on out.**

 **Kasumi Nikki, Ultimate Diary Keeper, female** **  
** **Yuhei Kuza, Ultimate Lip Reader, male** Courtesy of Reapergenesis32 **  
** **Raymond "Ray" Bishop Stark, Ultimate DJ, male** Courtesy of Oscar – The Undead Brony  
 **Ruiza Maria Andrade (El Torbellino Dorado), Ultimate Luchador, female** Courtesy of dashunterman  
 **Rie Hayaikawa, Ultimate Circus Performer, female** Courtesy of SpectralTriangle  
 **Amelia (Von) Ebers, Ultimate Classical Composer, female** Courtesy of TheLaughingStone **  
** **Alex Nagamine, Ultimate Bookworm, male** Courtesy of Alex The God Killer  
 **Jonathan Junmaru, Ultimate Procrastinator, male** Courtesy of Mechblade007 **  
** **Makoto Kudou, Ultimate Forensic Scientist, male** Courtesy of Starnightking  
 **Irja Sari Kokkonen, Ultimate Investigative Journalist, female** Courtesy of Lupus Overkill  
Aimi Kimiko Chieko, Ultimate Acrobat, female _Courtesy of SatoIchinose_ **  
** **Mikala Kaimi Nuri, Ultimate Cosmetologist, male** **  
** **Vergil, Ultimate Friend, male** Courtesy of lVergil  
 **Celinel Frischt, Ultimate Choir Conductor, polygender** Courtesy of my friend Frankie (who's too lazy to get an account, apparently) **  
** **Jack Doe, Ultimate Bad Luck, male** Courtesy of RestinDarkness


	15. Act 1-8

**Act 1-8  
** _ **Pages As White As Snow**_

* * *

 _GAME OVER_

 _The Ultimate Bookworm Alex Nagamine has been found guilty_

 _Commencing Execution_

 _THE BURNING OF ALEXANDRIA_

* * *

 _Alex looked around, breathing heavily, heterochromatic eyes wide with fear. He was tied to a chair, hands and feet bound by thick ropes. He struggled against them, though to no avail. He didn't have the strength; and even if he did, the ropes were far too thick to be escaped from by anyone other than a professional escape artist._

 _Bookshelves surrounded him, packed and packed with books. They created a sort of walled fortress around him, only slivers of light from between the shelves giving any indication of the outside world. Monokuma popped up before the fortress of books, more shelves and book piles surrounding it. The bear snickered as he brought up a burning match, throwing it to the shelves._

 _The wood caught to the flame quickly, alighting along with the old, dry paper bound within. It didn't take long for the fire to spread, the nearby shelves lighting up and letting others do the same, until the only place not bathed in bright flames were the small clearing where Alex was tied to the chair._

 _He began struggling harder, sweat dripping down the back of his neck, brown hair soaked from the heat radiating around him. Blue and golden eyes darted around frantically, looking for any hope of escape, any possibility. There was none._

 _The bookshelves began rattling, crackling, shaking. Alex screamed as they toppled over, flames bearing down on him. His screams echoed as the flames rose._

* * *

The other students stood there, kept out of the area by a chain-link fence. They stood there, shocked into silence. Beads of sweat trailed down Kasumi's face, as the sheer size and intensity of the flames reached them in waves of heat. Rie squeezed her eyes shut, squeezing Ruiza and hiding her face. Ruiza wrapped her arms around the smaller girl, closing her own eyes and looking away. Yuhei turned away as well, horror distorting his expression, and Ray stared, sweating, his mouth half-open in shock.

It wasn't long before the rotten stench of burning flesh filled the air. The surviving students gasped, struggling to breathe with the sudden onslaught filling their senses. Mikala retched, and Makoto looked on the verge of passing out. Kasumi's eyes were wide, her usually constantly moving pencil was still.

Monokuma appeared before them, looking jubilant. Ruiza was the first to react, letting out a string of Spanish curses once she noticed his presence. She glared darkly at the creature through her white lucha mask. "You sick monster! I, El Torbellino Dorado, will see justice done!"

Monokuma laughed whimsically, goading Ruiza further, but it was Jack who spoke. He laughed wildly, overtaking Monokuma's chuckling, though this time there was a darker tone to his laughter.

"What's wrong? Aren't bonfires supposed to be _fun_?" He snarked, Ruiza glaring at him, removing herself from Rie to advance on the Ultimate Bad Luck. She towered over him imposingly, despite being only three inches taller, pulling him up by the shirt.

She looked about ready to punch him, but Vergil grabbed her fist warningly. They both knew if he tried, he couldn't stop her, but the look in his eyes said enough. _It wasn't the time._ Glaring warningly at Jack, who had a positively gleeful expression on his face, she let her fist drop, shoving him away and stalking angrily back over to Ruiza.

Mikala glared at Monokuma. "This is all your fault." He growled, fists shaking.

Monokuma tilted his head in faux innocence. "My fault? You're looking at the wrong bear. I didn't do anything. This only happened because **you lot wanted to leave**." His words had a profound effect on everyone, startling them into silence. "It's all **your** **fault** this happened, cause you can't forget about the outside world! If you don't like this, then get used to life here! Adapt!" He leered at them, letting a few moments of silence pass before he grinned and disappeared, leaving them alone in their overwhelming new reality.

* * *

For some time after Monokuma left, they all stood there, unable to move. Jack, seeming satisfied with his handiwork, nodded and left, whistling a dark tune on his way out. Everyone else slowly filed out, one by one, not uttering a word.

They returned to the lobby, where there was no sign of Jack. Irja, Amelia, Raymond and Jonathan immediately retreated to their rooms, desperately needing some time alone. The others milled around the lobby for a while, not really sure what to do with themselves.

Celinel was curled up on a chair by one of the windows, teary-eyed as they absently stroked the birds around them. Rie and Ruiza sat close together, relishing in the comfort of a friend. Makoto had fallen asleep on a couch, though his sleep didn't look peaceful, eyebrows furrowed and lips pulled down in a deep frown. Vergil quietly nursed a cup of hot chocolate by the bar, having gone to retrieve it from the kitchen not too long ago. Yuhei sat at the center grouping of furniture, in one of the two armchairs staring blankly at the bowl of fruit sitting on the coffee table. Mikala sat next to him on one of the couches, feet up on the cushions. Kasumi was curled up by the fireplace, sitting in a large armchair that made her seem even smaller than usual. For once, her diary was closed.

A few minutes later, Irja returned to the room, sitting quietly across from Kasumi.

Everyone continued sitting where they were until Jack came back into the room. There was a noticeable difference in him, one that really showed his true nature. His already pale complexion was covered in white face paint, with crudely painted black angel wings that extended vertically down his face and over his eyes. He also now sported seven piercings: two in his ears, two on the left and right sides of his nose, two below his eyes, and when he smiled, the seventh could be seen on his tongue. His electric blue eyes no longer hid the maniacal fire within them.

No one bothered to hide their dislike for him; a fact that only made Jack's grin grow wider as he sauntered into the room. "What's got you so down? He was going to die anyways, so what's the big deal?"

"Shut it, Jack." Mikala growled, looking up for a brief moment to glare at the newest arrival to the room.

Jack was unaffected by this; rather, he went even further with his taunting. "Aw, I'm sorry!" He sang mockingly, and Mikala wasn't the only one who went stiff in anger. "Did I hurt your feelings? Oh, but I guess for a fag like you, everything I say will hurt. You can't stand a guy you can't attain, right?" He grinned condescendingly as the Ultimate Cosmetologist jumped up furiously.

"That's none of your business, you bastard! No one here wants to see your damn face right now, so just leave already!"

Ruiza stood, walking angrily over and standing between the two, acting almost protectively over Mikala. She crossed her arms, scowling, and Mikala's anger dissipated somewhat in surprise. " _Vete,_ before I make you, Jack. I, El Torbellino Dorado, will not let you harm another with your words!" Jack's smile dropped for a moment, but it came back full force so quickly, it was questionable whether or not his expression had changed at all.

He shrugged, hands stuffing into the pockets of his coat before retrieving a cigarette and a lighter. He stuck the cancer stick in his mouth, lighting it and taking a long drag. Jonathan returned to the room at that moment, nose wrinkled as he caught sight of the cigarette.

Jack noticed his reaction, grinning as he waved the cancer stick around pointedly before Jonathan, making a point of sauntering over and blowing smoke into his face. Jonathan stepped back, waving at the smoke as it dissipated, coughing when the smoke hit his lungs.

Seeming satisfied, Jack turned and gave Ruiza and Mikala a smile and a wave before leaving the room once more.

Mikala was stiffer than a board, and when Ruiza attempted to speak to him, presumably to see how he was faring, the American spun around, practically dashing out of the room.

Kasumi sighed as she stood, startling several students—many had forgotten she was there—making her way to the open door leading to the rest of the building. Irja, understanding the younger girl's intentions, followed. The Ultimate Investigative Journalist paused, turning to the others for a moment. "Maybe it'd be best if we all got some sleep." Then she turned and left.

That night, when Rie went to sleep, she woke up screaming.

 **END OF ACT 1  
13 STUDENTS LEFT**

* * *

 ****I've been thinking about the Trial sequence, and I wanted your opinions. Do you think I should do a game style trial, with the trial and stuff being more like the game, with the nonstop debates and machinegun talks and whatnot (if so, Jack has his own special little thing going on there), or should I stick with the story-like trial? Or something in between, with more on the holographic stuff acting as a game style, though the conversations would be more story like?****

 **On another note, I personally hate using slurs of any sort, but Jack is just that much of a dick. If it really bothers anyone, though, just tell me and I'll change it.  
Otherwise though, this is the end of Act 1. :) Act 2 begins next chapter, though before anything happens we'll have a bunch of Free Time Events, character development and bonding, and perhaps you'll get a glimpse into some of the romances I have planned~! :3 (In that regard, I can't help but notice that literally none of the girls are straight (aside from Aimi, but she's dead now) and yet most of the guys are straight. (And then there's Celinel, but we're ignoring them in this revelation.) That really says something about my readers. Wow guys.)**

 _ **Vete**_ _ **–**_ **Leave**

 **Kasumi Nikki, Ultimate Diary Keeper, female  
Yuhei Kuza, Ultimate Lip Reader, male **Courtesy of Reapergenesis32 **  
Raymond "Ray" Bishop Stark, Ultimate DJ, male** Courtesy of Oscar – The Undead Brony **  
Ruiza Maria Andrade (El Torbellino Dorado), Ultimate Luchador, female** Courtesy of dashunterman **  
Rie Hayaikawa, Ultimate Circus Performer, female** Courtesy of SepctralTriangle  
 **Amelia (Von) Ebers, Ultimate Classical Performer, female** Courtesy of TheLaughingStone **  
**Alex Nagamine, Ultimate Bookworm, male _Courtesy of Alex The God Killer_ **  
Jonathan Junmaru, Ultimate Procrastinator, male** Courtesy of Mechblade007 **  
Makoto Kudou, Ultimate Forensic Scientist, male** Courtesy of Starnightking **  
Irja Sari Kokkonen, Ultimate Investigative Journalist, female** Courtesy of Lupus Overkill **  
**Aimi Kimiko Chieko, Ultimate Acrobat, female _Courtesy of SatoIchinose_ **  
Mikala Kaimi Nuri, Ultimate Cosmetologist, male  
Vergil, Ultimate Friend, male **Courtesy of lVergil **  
Celinel Frischt, Ultimate Choir Conductor, polygender** Courtesy of my friend Frankie **  
Jack Doe, Ultimate Bad Luck, male** Courtesy of RestinDarkness


	16. Act 2-1

**Act 2-1  
** _ **Falling Like Snowflakes**_

When Rie made her way to the lobby, exhausted, scared, and unable to sleep, she found she wasn't the only one. Ray, Yuhei, Ruiza, Celinel, Mikala, and Vergil were already there, lounging about quietly as they attempted to blink the sleep out of their eyes. She looked around, already moving to sit by Ruiza, who patted her head comfortingly. Her honey-colored hair was covered with a pink nightcap with white stripes, a small puffball of a flower atop. She liked it; the cap had come as part of a set with the rest of her pajamas, which had the same striped pattern as the nightcap.

Ruiza simply wore a pair of white shorts, and a loose-fitting, sleeveless gray top, though she had put on her Lucha mask, which was rather mismatched in comparison to the rest of her clothes.

Kasumi stepped into the room—the longer they were with each other, the more Rie began noticing the small girl—wearing a dark purple t-shirt of a dress that reached all the way down to her knees, her feet looking warm in fuzzy white slippers. Her long black hair had been pulled back in a ponytail with a purple hair scrunchie, allowing her face to be seen properly for once.

Noticing Rie, the Ultimate Diary Keeper held up the mug of hot cocoa in her hands. Rie looked down at her inquisitively. "Hot chocolate. It helps." The blonde nodded, smiling in thanks as she wrapped her hands around the warm mug. Kasumi left, presumably to get another cup.

They were all gathered by the fireplace on the western wall, which burned brightly in its hearth. Ruiza and Rie were both curled up on the loveseat, while the others had all taken a place on the wrap around leather couch.

Ray sat farthest away from the fireplace at one end of the couch, head covered by a black beanie and wearing similarly colored pajama bottoms. Gray slippers sat on the floor before him, along with an empty mug. He had a set of expensive-looking headphones on, nodding his head to the beat as his hands moved about, spinning an imaginary record.

Celinel sat in the corner of the couch, where the two sides connected, clad simply in a tank top and boxers. They nursed a mug, their birds settled in a small army around them. Mikala was staring at the birds curiously as he played with the old iron ring on his finger, wearing a loose-fitting turquoise top and black sweats that were one size too large. He had a blanket wrapped around himself, a half-empty mug at his feet.

Yuhei silently sipped at his own mug, wearing his red and white headphones with the dog ears. He was dressed in a black t-shirt and dark blue sweatpants decorated with small wolves. Vergil had taken the other edge of the couch, the side closer to the fire, wearing nondescript pajamas and absently drinking hot chocolate as he stared into the fire.

They all looked like Rie probably did, with tired eyes and quiet countenances.

Kasumi returned again, with Amelia and Makoto in tow. Makoto, wearing a light gray t-shirt, black pajama pants, and his cat necklace, fell asleep before he even reached the others, choosing one of the two couches near the center of the room to doze on.

Amelia walked proudly towards the rest of them with Kasumi despite the bags under her eyes, seeming to not even notice the smaller girl beside her. Kasumi settled herself between Mikala and Yuhei, body curving in on itself, her knees acting like a makeshift table for the steaming mug she held.

Amelia sat on between Vergil and Yuhei, wearing red pajama pants and a white t-shirt and socks. Even sitting she held herself up straight, sipping delicately from her own mug. Today, her right eye was yellow.

Everything was quiet until one of Celinel's birds fluttered, alighting closer to Mikala. The Cosmetologist reached towards it gently, only to be thoroughly startled as Kasumi sneezed loudly, rubbing her nose as the bird flew back to Celi, who cooed softly at it in a comforting manner.

Her sneeze had awoken Makoto who jumped as he looked around. Seeing nothing urgent, he promptly fell asleep once more. "I'm allergic to bird feathers," was all she offered in explanation.

It was Jonathan who broke the silence as he came in, the only one not wearing pajamas or sleepwear of some sort. He yawned. "…Nightmares?" He asked, and most everyone nodded in response. He hummed in response, adjusting his glasses. "Mikala, it's our turn to cook. Anyone else want pasta?"

Amelia wrinkled her nose in disapproval. "In the morning? No thank you."

He shrugged, "Your loss," and left to head to the kitchen, Mikala eventually following after him.

One by one, the rest of the students stood, trailing after the rising smell that wafted through the open doors from the kitchen. Most of them headed straight for the dining room, though Ruiza and Irja made a stop at the kitchen first to check on the food.

Some of the latecomers came in around the time the food drifted from the kitchen and the dining room, most likely lured in by the smell of pancakes and waffles. Well, latecomer, really. Makoto had only just woken up—again. To the silent thankfulness of the rest of the students, Jack didn't appear.

* * *

By the time they'd all finished breakfast, everyone was, more or less, refreshed and awake. Apparently, their memories had been rebooted as well. "Oh! I nearly forgot," Rie exclaimed, attracting the attention of the others, "but Monokuma came by this morning. He said there were some new areas that had been made available to us."

More than one person raised an eyebrow. "We should all go check out the new areas then." Irja suggested. "We can all meet up in the lobby at noon."

Everyone agreed, and they all split up into little groups.

Rie had suggested they check out the rooms that had been locked earlier on the first floor—they'd actually discovered a somewhat discreet staircase by the library in the hall that led up to two more floors, though the only available rooms up there were bathrooms—and the others agreed, though Ray insisted they also check outside, in case the ski lift and the skating rink were also available. Thus Yuhei, Makoto, Vergil, Celinel, Ray, and Jonathan all left to explore the surrounding mountain while the rest looked around inside.

Ruiza and, of course, Rie, dragged along Mikala to look at some of the rooms. They saw Kasumi, Irja, and Amelia check out the larger door in the center of the hall where the library door was, so they took the door closest to them at the end of the hallway.

* * *

 _ **Moon Mountain Winter Lodge – Sauna**_

 _ **A small doorway leads into a snug, small room. On one side is a large set of square-shaped shelves, a basket of fresh towels sitting on one of the center shelves. Across from the shelves are three small changing rooms, the only privacy being two walls and a curtain. On the wall to the left of the doorway sits a bench big enough for two to sit comfortably. To the right of the changing rooms is another door, which leads to a warm, steamy sauna. Benches are attached to the other three walls of the sauna. In the center of the room sits a table, the center of which consists of a large amount of hot stones. On the floor beside the door sits a bucket of water and a ladle.**_

* * *

Ruiza grinned, her and Rie standing in the doorway leading into the sauna. "This is _muy bien_!"

Rie smiled brightly in agreement. "We should try it out!"

Mikala shifted uncomfortably in his spot in the door connecting to the hall, leaning against the doorframe after a few moments. "Then perhaps I should go join one of the others and leave you to your privacy…"

"Nonsense!" The two chorused, sharing a look with each other that made Mikala somewhat uneasy.

"Come on, we'll wear swimsuits!" Rie declared, grabbing the only male of the group and proceeding to head towards the dorms, Ruiza pushing him from behind for good measure. Between the two of them, Mikala stood no chance of resistance.

The dorms weren't too far, and it wasn't long before Mikala found himself in a pair of swim tights he'd modified from the bottom half of a wetsuit, silver lines running vertically down either side of his legs. Outside his door, waiting impatiently, were two young women in swimsuits with odd… accessories.

Ruiza was clad in a white and gold bikini, showing off her athletic physique, though her lucha libre mask was still present. Mikala wondered if she ever took it off. Rie, on the other hand, wore an almost obnoxiously pink wetsuit with flowers decorating it, the white gloves she always wore still present over her hands.

Standing side by side like that, Mikala realized what an odd duo the two made. Ruiza was tanned, light freckles on her face and Spanish ethnicity evident, with an imposing, though curvy figure as she stood at over six foot; undoubtedly, she was the tallest student present in the Lodge. Rie, on the other hand, was light-skinned, her curly hair blonde that defied her Japanese ethnicity. Though the both of them undoubtedly had athletic physiques, where Ruiza was curvy, Rie was not, her body more of a gymnast's than a body builder's. (The two of them made Mikala feel somewhat self-conscious, having no muscles or abs of any sort.) She was girlish, pink seeming to be her preferred color, and she was the shortest student, standing even shorter than Kasumi at only 4'2". They seemed very different, yet had similar tastes and were both perhaps the most athletic of the mismatched group.

He was drawn out of his musings however, when the two noticed him, stopping whatever conversation they were having in order to drag him back to the sauna. Mikala had already given up protesting, knowing that against the both of them he had no possibility of winning, opting to just be dragged along.

He sat down on the bench on the left wall, sighing and getting comfortable as Rie sat across from him. Ruiza poured water on the hot stones, sending steam billowing up into the room, and took her own seat at the only unoccupied wall.

They sat in silence for several moments until Rie seemed to have enough of it, starting up a conversation. Or, that's what Mikala thought, until he heard what came out of her mouth.

"So, my best friend is a tight rope walker." She started out, seemingly innocent enough, though her grin spoke otherwise. "I LOOK UP TO HER often! Get it?" She put extra emphasis on the words in the form of volume, both her and Ruiza howling with laughter. "Okay, okay." She mumbled, catching her breath before speaking up again. "I actually really hate being a tightrope walker. My job is always ON THE LINE." They cracked up again, and Mikala let his face fall into his hands.

The conversation finally moved on from bad puns, though it somehow turned into Ruiza recounting her past matches.

"And there I was, pinned, _el réferee_ counting. But I knew that I could not lose the _batalla_ …" Rie was fascinated with the story, eyes wide and following every dramatic gesture made by Ruiza. Mikala knew little of lucha libre, or of wrestling in general, opting to tune out the conversation with a soft groan. Why was it always him?

* * *

Yuhei followed Vergil down the steps on the east side of the deck, following the cobblestone path farther away from the Lodge while simultaneously keeping an eye on the sleep-prone Makoto. Not too far off is a large ice skating rink, the entire area fenced in by a tall chain link fence. The only entrance to the rink is a small building, with a single window made of bulletproof glass.

* * *

 _ **Moon Mountain Winter Lodge – Skating Rink & Athletics Storage**_

 _ **The Storage room consists of a small concrete building with a single window of bulletproof glass and a metal door. Off to the side, in a separated fenced in section are four snowmobiles. The inside is lit up only by a swinging bulb, and is cluttered with equipment; skis, hockey sticks, and snowboards are propped against one wall, with various kinds of sleds in stacks nearby. Ice skates are piled on a shelf, all in the sizes of the fifteen students, along with a small basket of hockey pucks. Snowshoes are also piled on the shelves, and in the middle of the room sits several large baskets of protective equipment such as helmets, knee and elbow pads, and gloves. Sitting on an empty shelf is a set of keys, presumably for the snowmobiles outside.**_

 _ **The Ice Rink is a large, circular rink of solid-looking ice. It seems to have been made artificially, and is smoother than glass. A chain link fence surrounds it, and a perimeter of about a foot of snow separate the fence and the ice.**_

* * *

Before exploring, everyone had gone to change, as they hadn't bothered to change before going. All the guys, aside from Mikala, had opted to explore outside, and thus had all dressed in clothes more suitable for a snowy mountain top. Yuhei himself wore black snow pants, a beige sweater and a violet scarf. After a moment of thought, he put on a black, hooded overcoat as well, his headphones still secure on his head.

He had passed by Jack's room, and out of curiosity, paused for a moment, only to hear some sort of dark muttering followed by equally dark laughter, and Yuhei had quickly left the area. He shuddered, thinking of the way it sent unpleasant shivers down his back, opting to change the process of his thoughts. It was pleasantly quiet outside, aside from the distant noise undoubtedly being created by Ray and/or the two athletes somewhere else. He counted himself lucky to have ended up with both Vergil and Makoto. Both were relatively quiet, aside from Makoto's narcolepsy, which would a bit of an issue if no one kept an eye on him outside. Letting him fall asleep in the snow would be a bad idea.

Yuhei took this quiet lull to observe the other two more closely as they looked around the storage room.

Vergil's clothes, surprisingly, hadn't changed much from his usual attire, the t-shirt he normally wore gone and replaced by a black hoodie, making his entire outfit seem darker, especially when in contrast with the white snow. His black hair created shadows across his face in the poor lighting. Despite his title as the Ultimate Friend, he was quiet, and seemingly emotionless to the outsider. He seemed to be intelligent, however, from the way he studied everything with a calm observance. Yuhei wondered how exactly he had obtained his title, and what had happened to him if he was like this now.

Makoto, however, wore clothes more suited to the environment, consisting of a blue jacket, his usual white zip-up sweater beneath. Like Yuhei, he wore black snow pants, which were also accompanied by gray snow boots. A beanie helped cover most of his rather messy hair, though as a result, his dark hair covered more of his face. Goggles were perched atop his head, over the beanie. He looked exhausted, despite having slept more than anyone else, but Yuhei figured he was having nightmares as well. Combined with his apparent fear of blood (despite being the Ultimate Forensic Scientist), Yuhei doubted it was pretty.

Makoto seemed to have a dislike for Vergil for whatever reason, though he couldn't see why. While Vergil wasn't the most social—or, for that matter, emotional—person in the world, but it's not like he was a jerk either. Not like Jack. Then again, Makoto seemed wary of a lot of the other students. Ray, Amelia, Irja, Ruiza, Vergil, and Mikala all included. On the other hand, he seemed fond of Rie and Kasumi (when he noticed her anyways). It wasn't pronounced, as the group really hadn't interacted with each other much as a whole, but rather in small groups and trios, but it was there, in the subtle tells of his body movement.

He was jerked out of his thoughts as Makoto stood slowly, cracking his back as he did so. "Let's check out the ice rink." He inclined his head towards the door leading to the rink for emphasis.

The trio stand just off the side of the rink, not really eager to start sliding just yet. That is, until Makoto gets hit with a wave of drowsiness. He tried to fight it, but eventually succumbed to sleep, leaving Vergil and Yuhei to watch as he started sliding across the ice.

"…I'll get the skates."

* * *

 _ **El réferee – Referee  
Batalla – what they call a battle or a match  
*I got these terms off a site, as I have no personal knowledge on lucha libre, so these may or may not be correct***_

 **So, as I'm sure you've noticed, the Free Time chapters will be longer. This is mostly because I have relationships and bonding and character development to do, and so little time for some of these characters. And hurray for bad puns. xD  
Also I finally made up the list of all the murders and survivors and stuff. It makes me sad. :/ I love all the characters, but I'm afraid there will only be three survivors. Thus, there are six Acts, not counting Act 0. The sixth is sort of a finale, and by the end of that one, you guys are probably going to hate me. So yah. Death. Death everywhere.**

 **Kasumi Nikki, Ultimate Diary Keeper, female** **  
Yuhei Kuza, Ultimate Lip Reader, male** Courtesy of Reapergenesis32 **  
Raymond "Ray" Bishop Stark, Ultimate DJ, male** Courtesy of Oscar – The Undead Brony **  
Ruiza Maria Andrade (El Torbellino Dorado), Ultimate Luchador, female** Courtesy of dashunterman **  
Rie Hayaikawa, Ultimate Circus Performer, female** Courtesy of SpectralTriangle **  
Amelia (Von) Ebers, Ultimate Classical Composer, female** Courtesy of TheLaughingStone **  
**Alex Nagamine, Ultimate Bookworm, male _Courtesy of Alex The God Killer_  
 **Jonathan Junmaru, Ultimate Procrastinator, male** Courtesy of Mechblade007 **  
Makoto Kudou, Ultimate Forensic Scientist, male** Courtesy of Starnightking **  
Irja Sari Kokkonen, Ultimate Investigative Journalist, female** Courtesy of Lupus Overkill **  
**Aimi Kimiko Chieko, Ultimate Acrobat, female _Courtesy of SatoIchinose_  
 **Mikala Kaimi Nuri, Ultimate Cosmetologist, male  
Vergil, Ultimate Friend, male** Courtesy of lVergil **  
Celinel Frischt, Ultimate Choir Conductor, polygender** Courtesy of my friend Frankie **  
John "Jack" Doe, Ultimate Bad Luck, male** Courtesy of RestinDarkness


	17. Act 2-2

**Act 2-2  
** _ **Falling Like Snowflakes**_

Kasumi followed Irja and Amelia as they made their way down the hall, the latter insisting they check out the large doors by the library. There were four doors total in the hall, all on the right side, as the other connected to the dorms. The library was one, naturally, and as they entered the other set of double doors, Kasumi saw Ruiza and Rie pushing Mikala into the last door at the end.

* * *

 _ **Moon Mountain Winter Lodge – Pool and Spa**_

 _ **The pool area is larger than the library, with the pool itself taking up most of the room. Before the doors is the shallow end of the pool, steps leading down to water no more than five feet deep. The farther out the pool goes, the deeper it gets, the deepest point being twenty-five feet. The most notable part of the pool is, about a third of the way across, the wall—which is made up of mostly glass—is cut off, and the rest of the pool leads outside. French doors lead outside from the deck surrounding the pool. The pool itself isn't completely cut off, and the wall stops high enough that one can swim under it if they keep their head low in the water. The deck is littered with tables, chairs, and wicker lounge chairs. On the left side of the door, settled just on the other side of the glass, are several large bins storing pool toys and effects such as goggles and swim caps. The outside part of the pool is shaded halfway across by an overhanging rooftop.  
Directly to the left of the door are two doors leading to changing rooms.  
Outside, on the right corner of the deck, sits a hot tub large enough to hold eight people comfortably.**_

* * *

Irja looked around appreciatively. "This is an interesting design for a pool. We're allowed both an indoor and outdoor area, depending on our preferences."

Amelia bent down, taking off one of her gloves and dipping her hand into the water. "It is heated, as well." She stood, flicking her wrist in a smooth motion to dry it off. When she thought the other two weren't looking, she wiped her hand on her skirt, replacing the glove back in its rightful spot.

"I look forward to spending some time in here later." Irja mused, taking notes before making her way to what looked to be the changing rooms.

Kasumi and Amelia followed, only for all three to be stopped as a small black-and-white bear popped up from out of nowhere. "Upupupupupu~!"

Amelia scowled at the bear, though almost immediately after attempted to smooth out her face, though Kasumi could still see her irritation. "What do you want?"

Monokuma grinned, shrugging in what he seemed to think was an innocent look. "Well I thought you might like to know that you need your ElectroiDs to open the doors to the changing rooms!"

"Our ElectroiDs?"

"Yeppers! Simply place your ElectroiD over the card reader by the door. However, to make sure you kids aren't doing anything _naughty_ , you can only get into the guys' changing rooms with a guy's ElectroiD and the girls' with a girl's."

"What if someone tried to sneak in or something?" Amelia pointed out, and Monokuma growled with threatening claws.

"Then they'll be dealt swift justice!" To emphasize his point, a ceiling panel parted, and a large machine gun lowered from the ceiling, swiveling around. The three took a step back, but the gun retreated into the ceiling as quickly as it had come.

"What about Celinel?" Irja pointed out, garnering a look of realization from the Ultimate Classical Composer. "Aren't they polygender?"

Monokuma nodded. "They're the only one allowed to use either room, though it's more likely they'll go back to the dorms or to one of the gender neutral bathrooms."

"Gender neutral bathrooms?"

"Upupupu~! Check the second floor, dinguses!" And with those parting words, Monokuma disappeared.

They fell into silence for several minutes, until Amelia seemed unable to take it anymore. "Well, we should check out the changing rooms then."

* * *

 _ **Moon Mountain Winter Lodge – Changing Rooms**_

 _ **A simple room separated into three areas. The lockers are in two rows, about ten total, with benches under each. Four bathroom stalls sit in another area, with three sinks on the opposite wall. A wall keeps the last area sectioned off, a small doorway leading to six showers. Ads and promotional posters for other resorts and vacation areas decorate the walls.**_

* * *

Jonathan watched as Raymond conversed with Celinel, though mostly because Jonathan had made it clear he didn't feel like conversing at that moment. The three of them were climbing farther up the mountain, where Ray said he'd found the ski lift the first time around. They'd debated just running down the mountain, but it became obvious pretty quickly that, while they were given a lot of leeway, there was still a tall fence surrounding the area. And where there wasn't a fence, there was a large cliff.

"How do you get all those birds to obey?" Ray, wearing his black beanie over his dark blue hair, and a matching black long-sleeved shirt, jeans, and boots. The only thing he wore that wasn't black was a thick white coat, though Jonathan couldn't really fault him for it. It was cold outside, and black tended to suck in heat.

Celinel shrugged, causing several birds to flutter up before resettling themselves on the shoulders of their puffy jacket. A few sat in the fur hood. Celi also wore thick corduroy pants, snow boots, and gloves. "I train them… from when they hatch…"

Jonathan, wearing a big, puffy, red snow jacket and black pants, watched with interest as the birds moved up and down like a little cloud. He wondered briefly just how many there were.

Ray seemed to completely forget the previous conversation as the ski lift came into sight, and he gave a shout in excitement, running ahead towards it. The cause of his excitement was the gate that lead to the lift. The padlock that had apparently been on it had been removed, the lift already running.

* * *

 _ **Moon Mountain Winter Lodge – Ski Lift**_

 _ **The lift is a chairlift, with a continuously circulating steel cable loop that's strung between two end terminals, the motors of which move the cable. From the cable hangs a series of chairs, with new black cushions. The chairs are wide enough to fit three people comfortably. The chairs pass less than a foot off the ground, allowing enough time for people to jump on and off before it heads up the mountain. A chain-link fence surrounds the base of the lift and the area around it. The gate is unlocked.  
In the distance one can see a fence surrounding the slope. Off to the left of the slope and lift, the fence ends at a cliff.**_

* * *

Ray reached the gate, flinging it open and running inside. He stopped just before the lift, looking up and admiring it for a moment. When Jonathan and Celi finally caught up, he turned back to them, grinning. "Let's ride it!"

Jonathan raised an eyebrow. "We're not going skiing."

The Ultimate DJ rolled his eyes. "I know that—we don't have any skis or snowboards anyways. Though I'm betting those are available now too. What I meant was that we should ride the ski lift up and then back down. We can see how far it goes and how big the property is." He waved a hand at the lift for emphasis.

Celi shrugged. "He… has a point."

And that was how Jonathan ended up slouched on a ski lift between Celinel and Ray. He had to admit, the view was spectacular, especially as they reached the top of the mountain. But there wasn't a way out.

* * *

They all grouped back up in the lobby at lunchtime in varying states. Ruiza and Rie looked thoroughly refreshed, though their hair was a little damp, whilst Mikala seemed exhausted. Ray seemed excited, while Jonathan beside him seemed mildly annoyed. Vergil, Yuhei, and Makoto were the last to arrive, the first two looking exhausted and Makoto shivering in a blanket.

Everyone gave them an intrigued look, Amelia raising a brow. "What happened to you?"

"Narcolepsy," the three of them chorused, and no one asked anymore questions.

"So, we now have access to the sauna, the pool, the ski lift, the ice rink, and the storage room that accompanies it. We're also allowed access to both the second and third floors; unfortunately, the only rooms accessible to us seem to be the bathrooms." Irja listed off, glancing up at Celi with a genial smile. "There are also gender neutral bathrooms." Celinel returned her comment with an appreciative smile and nod.

A moment of silence passed before Amelia spoke up. "So what will we do now?" Everyone else kind of just shrugged, and after another moment, simply split off to go their own way.

* * *

Yuhei was the first to return to the library after the… incident. Well, aside from Jack, of course. He'd found the place to be a nice, quiet place that he could seclude himself in when he needed to get away from the noise. As long as Jack didn't happen to come waltzing in, it was a good place. It was where he was at that moment, curled up on a small squishy red loveseat somewhere in the maze of shelves, a rather engaging book resting on his legs.

He was over halfway through when someone came walking by at a fast, angry pace. Probably having noticed him, they backtracked into the aisle, and Mikala blinked in surprise when he saw Yuhei.

"I, uh… wasn't expecting anyone to be here." He said, somewhat awkwardly shifting in place.

Yuhei stared at him steadily, mentally translating the words formed by his lips before responding. "Neither was I."

They stood there for a while longer, Mikala shifting awkwardly as his blue eyes wandered, Yuhei watching him patiently.

"Do you mind if I… join you?" Yuhei shook his head, and Mikala disappeared for a moment before returning, a book in hand as he sat on the other side of the loveseat. It was almost amusing to watch him sink into it.

They spent the next couple hours simply reading, no words spoken aloud, though there wasn't really a need to. Yuhei was surprised; Mikala didn't seem like the kind of person that kept quiet for a long time, but more like Ray or Amelia—disliking long periods of silence or nothingness.

Yuhei finished his novel, not particularly satisfied with the ending, though it seemed to be part of a trilogy, so he couldn't complain too much about it. Not without finishing the rest of the trilogy first. Not particularly wanting to get up to travel through the maze of shelves in search of the next book, he turned to where Mikala seemed rather engrossed in his own book. It was interesting to watch his facial expressions, which changed gradually as he read on. From those alone, Yuhei could deduce that the book was a rather epic drama of sorts, though he couldn't be too sure of the specific setting.

Mikala looked up as he reached the end of the chapter, turning to meet Yuhei's own violet eyes. "…Is there something on my face?" He asked, blinking in confusion.

Yuhei's lip twisted in amusement as he shrugged. "Your face." He snarked, before pointing just under his right eye. "Also, I believe you have something right here, Nuri."

Mikala's hand reached up to the aforementioned area before realizing what he meant. "Ha ha, Kuza. It's called a mole." He wasn't too bad at sarcasm either, it seemed. "And you don't have to call me Nuri. Just Mikala is fine." He shrugged. "Who knows, if you prove yourself worthy in the ever-ensuing battle for my affection, I might just let you refer to me by something more familiar."

Yuhei rolled his eyes at the teasing grin in his direction. "The same applies to you then." Mikala nodded in agreement.

Another moment of silence settled before Yuhei spoke up again, more out of curiosity than anything. "What brought you here?" Mikala rose an eyebrow in question. "To the library. You don't seem the kind to come here for free time."

Mikala bit his lip, pausing for a moment before answering. "Just… Jack." He shrugged. "You know how it is."

"Why not just avoid him like everyone else?" Mikala shrugged again, but this time he didn't respond, looking down at his book again without really processing what he was seeing.

Instead, he changed the subject; Yuhei decided to let it slide, at least for now. "How did you become a Lip Reader?" He asked, fingers playing with the bracelets around his wrists. "It's not something people normally get into."

"I was born deaf." Yuhei replied, as calmly as if he were talking about the weather, and Mikala started in surprise. The American began to apologize, but Yuhei shook his head, stopping him. "My mother was a linguist, so she taught me sign language while my father, a doctor, tried to find a way to help me hear."

"Did he?"

Yuhei nodded, tapping his headphone-covered ears for emphasis. "When I was five, he implanted artificial ear drums. By that point, I'd already begun to understand that the shapes my mother's lips were moving in and the signs her hands were forming were words."

"Then why do you wear the headphones, if they're not helping you hear?"

"People are too loud." He replied in response, but Mikala seemed to get it, nodding in understanding. "What about you? Cosmetology isn't practiced by a lot of guys."

Mikala's lip twisted in a sort of self-deprecating humor. "Well, I'm gay, so I guess I'm just following the stereotypes." He mocked his own words with a high falsetto. "But really… I kinda got dragged into it. Some girl from school dragged me to her part-time job because they needed someone to act as a model." He shuddered at the memory. "In the process, I ended up working there. Everyone there has a different specialty, though I never felt particularly drawn to one thing. So, things happened and voila. Here I am."

They were interrupted as a familiar, though spine-chilling voice sang out, getting louder as it fully entered the room. While the singer wasn't bad—far from it, in fact—the song they sung was unsettling, to say the least.

"My dear sweet mother died

But, before she did

I took her hand as she, dying, cried:

Find him, Bind him

Tie him to a pole and break

His fingers to splinters

Drag him to a hole until he

Wakes up naked

Clawing at the ceiling

Of his grave~!"

They both silently agreed to leave the room before Jack realized they were there.

* * *

Rie laughed as she twirled about on the ice, her skates leaving swirling patterns behind her. Ruiza, while not nearly as agile as Rie, wasn't inept either, and caught up easily to the blonde girl spinning in the middle of the rink. She was just in time to catch a rather dizzy acrobat, the two laughing as they ended up both sliding on their backsides across the ice.

They didn't stop until they hit the edge of the rink, so that Ruiza's back rested lightly against the snow, a still laughing Rie sprawled out atop her. A head of curly hair fell back onto Ruiza's shoulder as the acrobat took a moment to try to catch her breath, a large smile still on her face.

"You are going to get yourself hurt doing that, _amigo_." Ruiza laughed, warming her arms by wrapping them around the smaller waist.

Rie grinned. " _Chill_ , Ruiza. As long as _icy_ you nearby, I'll be _cool_." The rather clever puns had them both laughing aloud. When they had calmed down (again), Rie popped back up onto the ice once more, skating in a small loop before slowing to a stop before Ruiza.

The wrestler took both the offered hands before her, standing largely on her own strength, though she appreciated the gesture nonetheless.

They made lazy figure eights around the rink, not really speaking as much as they normally did—usually about nothing and everything—but it was a comforting silence that said everything they needed to. Rie took it a few steps further, walking on her hands _on the ice_ before the skates weighed her down and she performed a rendition of a back handspring to land back on her feet with all the ease in the world. Ruiza applauded her, moving forward to join her.

Their skating turned into a sort of unspoken, unplanned dance, Ruiza the support that stabilized Rie as she flew and flipped and spun. Being on the ice, they might've fallen a few times, and the moves sure weren't flawless, but there was an exhilaration about it, a freedom. For a moment, they could pretend that they weren't trapped here, that they were really at a mountain lodge for winter vacation, going home in a few weeks to their families.

Ruiza gripped Rie's hand as the shorter girl almost spun herself off her feet. When she was sure the blonde wasn't going to fall over, she let go, Rie adjusting the gloves on her hands before twirling off again.

It was a somewhat strange sensation for the Mexican. She came from a warm climate, so snow was extremely rare as it was, but Rie was far more intriguing. Most people wore gloves in the snow, but Rie wore hers all the time. It wasn't like Amelia, for even she took hers off occasionally—though she tended to make a show out of it—but Rie always kept hers on.

Though while it was strange and Ruiza was curious, she wore her mask, her _honor_ ,just as often, if not more, so she couldn't fault Rie. Perhaps the gloves were her honor.

* * *

 **So I'm thinking about another chapter or two for free time, since these last two were largely exploring. And for the rest of the story I'd keep it at about a chapter or two for exploration, and another two or three for free time events and bonding per arc. Thoughts? Comments?  
Also, since you kinda know what's going on and stuff Lodge and people-wise, if you want to update your Free Time Activities or have any ideas, feel free to message/review me about it! :3**

 **The song is called The Mariner's Revenge Song by The Decemberists. The lyrics are actually really creepy, though it's a good story—I had to listen to it for a writing class once. A rather interesting experience.**

 **Kasumi Nikki, Ultimate Diary Keeper, female** **  
Yuhei Kuza, Ultimate Lip Reader, male** Courtesy of Reapergenesis32 **  
Raymond "Ray" Bishop Stark, Ultimate DJ, male** Courtesy of Oscar – The Undead Brony **  
Ruiza Maria Andrade (El Torbellino Dorado), Ultimate Luchador, female** Courtesy of dashunterman **  
Rie Hayaikawa, Ultimate Circus Performer, female** Courtesy of SpectralTriangle **  
Amelia (Von) Ebers, Ultimate Classical Composer, female** Courtesy of TheLaughingStone **  
**Alex Nagamine, Ultimate Bookworm, male _Courtesy of Alex The God Killer_  
 **Jonathan Junmaru, Ultimate Procrastinator, male** Courtesy of Mechblade007 **  
Makoto Kudou, Ultimate Forensic Scientist, male** Courtesy of Starnightking **  
Irja Sari Kokkonen, Ultimate Investigative Journalist, female** Courtesy of Lupus Overkill **  
**Aimi Kimiko Chieko, Ultimate Acrobat, female _Courtesy of SatoIchinose_  
 **Mikala Kaimi Nuri, Ultimate Cosmetologist, male  
Vergil, Ultimate Friend, male** Courtesy of lVergil **  
Celinel Frischt, Ultimate Choir Conductor, polygender** Courtesy of my friend Frankie **  
John "Jack" Doe, Ultimate Bad Luck, male** Courtesy of RestinDarkness


	18. Act 2-3

**Act 2-3  
** _ **Falling Like Snowflakes**_

Kasumi and Vergil were the only ones in the lobby at that particular moment, everyone else having gone somewhere or another on their own time. Kasumi read, curled up in an armchair by the large window while Vergil sat across from her in his own chair, staring out the window in thought.

It was a comfortable silence, and comforting, though that was broken as Mikala and Yuhei practically rushed in, sharing a simultaneous look as Yuhei quickly made his way to the set of furniture by the bookshelves. He grabbed a book off the side table by the couch, sitting down and opening it up while Mikala perused the bookshelves briefly, grabbing one and plopping it on the couch before he headed back out of the room.

"I'll, uh, grab some stuff from the kitchen. Anyone want anything?" He glanced back in the doorway to look expectantly at the others in the room.

"Just some tea." Yuhei replied.

"Hot chocolate." Kasumi answered, and Mikala jumped, having forgotten she was there.

"Nothing for me." Vergil answered. The Cosmetologist nodded, disappearing into the hall.

He'd just returned, arms laden with drinks, when the doors leading outside burst open, a rather giddy pair of girls shutting it behind them.

Ruiza and Rie laughed at some joke they'd shared as they stripped most of their excess clothing, pulling off their boots and plopping into the loveseat by the fireplace. Ruiza looked up as Mikala passed her to hand off a steaming mug to Kasumi.

"Aw, _amigo_ , no _bebida_ for us?" Ruiza twisted her lips into a pout, eyes still hidden under her goggles. Mikala rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry, but you failed to catch me before I got off my shift as a personal waiter." He retorted sarcastically, and Ruiza barked out a laugh before she hauled herself up.

"Do you want anything, Rie?"

"Hot chocolate~!" The shorter girl sang, and the taller of the two smiled fondly before going off towards the kitchen herself.

Yuhei sighed into his cup of tea. So much for peace and quiet.

* * *

A day and a half later and most everyone was gathered in the pool. Celinel skipped out on account of their birds and Jack had entered the lobby, causing everyone to scatter for the time being. Thus, they unanimously decided to try out the pool.

Rie and Ruiza had started up a game of tag, the two of them racing in and out of both sides of the pool along with Ray and Mikala. Rie was wearing her one piece again, gloves included, and Ruiza had on her bikini and mask. Mikala wore his own modified swimwear. Ray wore a long pair of red trunks, the black goggles around his neck slapping him in the chin as he dodged Rie's hand and climbed out of the pool.

Irja laid back on own of the floats, wearing a bikini with a black bottom and a white halter top decorated with the black text of a newspaper article. Makoto sat at a small round table, wearing swim trunks with blue lames licking up from the bottom. Across from him was Kasumi, wearing white swim shorts with a black stripe on both sides, and a white bikini top under a light purple crop top. Her hair was pulled back with a scrunchie, and both she and Makoto were reading.

Vergil, wearing a simple pair of black trunks, lay back on one of the wicker lounge chairs, eyes closed and ears filled with music. Jonathan slouched in the hot tub, watching the tag players with a mildly amused look, a red t-shirt tossed haphazardly on a chair nearby. Amelia sat across from him, looking higher than the peasants around her in a gray swimsuit, a white music clef over the right breast.

Yuhei had curled up in a lounge chair as far from the pool as he could get, wearing green lightweight shorts and a loose t-shirt, a book in his hands and his headphones playing Yiruma. He didn't look particularly happy, having been dragged there against his will, but his anger had been quelled at Kasumi's offer of the extra book she'd brought.

Vergil jumped as water splashed over him, and Ray laughed as Mikala tackled him. "Sorry man!" He shouted before being submerged, Ruiza and Rie joining in a dog pile. Vergil simply gave the DJ a disgruntled look as he stood, likely to move to a drier spot, pulling the earphones out as he did so. He moved over to join Kasumi and Makoto at their table, plopping down. Kasumi looked up at him.

"…Do you play the ocarina?" She asked. He rose an eyebrow, but nodded bemusedly. "I hear it sometimes," was all she offered by way of explanation.

A shriek startled the loungers as the four culprits tipped Irja off her float, taking command of it. "I am hereby known as Captain Swizzle Sticks! All you landlubbers are now a member of my crew!" Mikala stood shakily atop the floaty, hands on his hips and grinning goofily. He had just caught Yuhei's eye when Ruiza whacked him with a noodle, effectively sending him back into the water. Yuhei snorted, turning back to his book. The four then started a game of chicken fight.

After another half hour or so, Kasumi left, Yuhei immediately following, eventually joined by Jonathan. Amelia was rather happy to have the spa to herself with its Jacuzzi, though her peace didn't last long as Ray hopped in, sinking down with a sigh. Irja had taken over his spot in the game.

As the spa was out on the outside portion of the pool area, a sharp wind cut through, and Ray sank lower into the water until the bottom half of his face was submerged. Amelia kept her back straight and head high, despite the goosebumps that sprouted up all over her skin. Ray raised an eyebrow, rising just enough so he could speak without swallowing chlorine. "If you're cold, just sink in a little. It's called a _hot_ tub for a reason, man."

Amelia rolled her eyes at him, but eventually gave in, letting herself sink a little deeper into the warm water. The ponytail of her white hair floated up as her shoulders dipped below the surface.

"Are you always like this? Is that a side effect of being nobility or whatever?" Ray raised an eyebrow.

"If it is? I do not see a problem with it." She smirked. "Rather, I find you could learn quite a bit from such lessons yourself."

Ray scowled, and just as quickly grinned, hand flicking up and splashing Amelia in the face. She spluttered, blinking rapidly as she wiped the water from her face. Ray grinned, taunting her. The girl huffed, crossing her arms while still trying to remain elegant. The falsity of her appearance and attitude was beginning to crack a little. He splashed her again.

The third time was the charm, and she knocked him from his precarious perch on the edge of the seat, sending him falling under. Several of the others looked up at the splash, but went back to their own actions moments later.

Ray came up a few moments after regaining his footing, sitting properly on the seat as he spewed chlorine water. Ray pushed his dark blue hair out of his mouth and eyes and slicked it back over his head to keep it away.

Despite his disgruntled look, he was thoroughly amused. She wasn't so prim and proper after all.

Rie's scream was louder than Irja's, and everyone startled, those sitting jumping to their feet. She was standing at the edge of the pool, or rather, she was—she'd practically dashed to the other side of the room, standing in a somewhat shaky stance that Ruiza no doubt taught her.

It was hard to recognize the cause of her reaction for several moments, as they were wearing a white-trimmed black wetsuit, a diving mask with a snorkel attached to it partially hiding their face. The still present black eyepatch and face paint gave it all away. Jack laughed, pulling the diving mask up enough to show his face.

"What's wrong? I wasn't making you _uncomfortable_ , was I? All you had to do was say no." He mocked, and Ruiza climbed out of the pool, glowering down at him angrily as she cracked her knuckles.

"You _bastardo!_ Apologize!"

Jack smirked at her, practically exuding arrogance. "I thought I already did."

Ruiza growled. " _Se pudra en el infierno!_ "

The others had gotten out of the pool by this point, Vergil, Irja, and Mikala holding back the wrestler as she glared darkly at a gleeful Jack.

"Calm down, Ruiza. It isn't worth it." Irja was saying, though it seemed to fall on deaf ears.

"She's right, Andrade. Acting out is what he wants." Mikala agreed, but again, Ruiza wasn't listening.

Jack shrugged, grinning at them before pulling his diving mask back down over his face, the snorkel attached to it jangling as he did so. "I didn't realize I was so popular." He snickered, walking to the edge of the pool. "But if you want my ass, you'll have to _kill for it_." He winked, several shuddering from the action, and turned around, diving into the pool.

* * *

That afternoon found Vergil on the mountain. He stood not too far from the ski lift, adjusting the dark goggles over his eyes as he stared down at the slope. It was definitely steeper than he had anticipated, but it wasn't all that important.

From where he was, the lodge seemed so far away; there was the quiet that came in the depths of winter, and it was peaceful. The peace pulled him into his thoughts.

Vergil knew the others gave him strange looks—he was the Ultimate Friend, yet he wasn't particularly friendly with any of them. Of course, he wasn't like Jack either, but he never got particularly close to anyone and didn't go out of his way to interact. Was he even still worthy of his title?

His mother would scold him for that thought. He wasn't like _him,_ wasn't anything like _him_. He could never be.

Vergil shook his head from his thoughts, leaning forward to take off when someone interrupted. "Yo, look who it is!"

Ray grinned as he hopped off the lift, marching through the snow with a snowboard of his own in hand. His eyes were half-hidden under goggles, hair poking out from beneath his black beanie. He was definitely dressed more properly for the snow than Vergil, though the latter didn't seem to mind.

"Ray," Vergil nodded briefly in greeting. Normally he'd prefer thinking than conversing with someone so loud, but his thoughts had begun going to a dark place and he needed a distraction.

"I didn't know you liked snowboarding." The DJ raised an eyebrow as he dropped his board in the snow a few feet from Vergil, proceeding to tie his feet into the boot straps. Vergil simply shrugged in response, at which Ray rolled his eyes. "Why is everyone so quiet? You all could learn a little from Ruiza and Rie. They know how to have some fun." He grinned, straightening, and Vergil knew he didn't mean any harm from the statement.

"Well," Ray started, looking down the mountainside, "Race you down?" He flashed another grin, leaning forward and letting himself slide forward and down the slope. Vergil felt himself smile a little.

Yeah, he could race.

* * *

 **Bebida – drink  
Bastardo – bastard (naturally)  
Se pudra en el infierno – You will rot in hell**

 **So lots of cursing in the second half. That's Jack's fault. Also I have a really dirty mouth, so there's that too. :P Sorry this took so long; I've been really tired lately. xD  
Anyways, though, that's the second Free Time chapter! Next chapter we get into deep shit and the next motive is revealed~!**

 **Kasumi Nikki, Ultimate Diary Keeper, female** **  
Yuhei Kuza, Ultimate Lip Reader, male** Courtesy of Reapergenesis32 **  
Raymond "Ray" Bishop Stark, Ultimate DJ, male** Courtesy of Oscar – The Undead Brony **  
Ruiza Maria Andrade (El Torbellino Dorado), Ultimate Luchador, female** Courtesy of dashunterman **  
Rie Hayaikawa, Ultimate Circus Performer, female** Courtesy of SpectralTriangle **  
Amelia (Von) Ebers, Ultimate Classical Composer, female** Courtesy of TheLaughingStone **  
**Alex Nagamine, Ultimate Bookworm, male _Courtesy of Alex The God Killer_  
 **Jonathan Junmaru, Ultimate Procrastinator, male** Courtesy of Mechblade007 **  
Makoto Kudou, Ultimate Forensic Scientist, male** Courtesy of Starnightking **  
Irja Sari Kokkonen, Ultimate Investigative Journalist, female** Courtesy of Lupus Overkill **  
**Aimi Kimiko Chieko, Ultimate Acrobat, female _Courtesy of SatoIchinose_  
 **Mikala Kaimi Nuri, Ultimate Cosmetologist, male  
Vergil, Ultimate Friend, male** Courtesy of lVergil **  
Celinel Frischt, Ultimate Choir Conductor, polygender** Courtesy of my friend Frankie **  
John "Jack" Doe, Ultimate Bad Luck, male** Courtesy of RestinDarkness


	19. Act 2-4

**Act 2-4  
** ** _Falling Like Snowflakes_**

Jack woke up that morning and knew something was wrong. Granted, with _it_ , something was always wrong. But it was especially so today, and he realized exactly what was wrong the moment he sat up in bed. He reached up, feeling that ugly scar on his face. His fingers brushed over it, memories flitting through his thoughts.

Jack shuddered, reaching over for the drug at his bedside. The pills slid down his throat easily, washed down by a drag from a cigarette he fumbled to light. He needed his eyepatch. He needed a lot of things, really. But at that particular moment, he needed his eyepatch.

A cry of outrage interrupted the quiet atmosphere of the morning, a feat considering it came from the other end of the hall. Jack poked his head out of his dorm, feeling high with the cigarette dangling between his lips, just in time to witness the DJ barge out of one of the other dorms in a fury.

Ray's eyes alighted on Jack, who smirked at him. " _You_!" He screamed, pointing an accusing finger in his direction. "What did you do with my turntable?!"

Jack smiled innocently, removing the cancer stick from between his lips. "You mean that screeching stack of CDs and scrap? I believe that shit has been tossed where it belongs." He laughed as he pulled his door closed, Ray's anger just missing his head. Jack dropped his cigarette, stubbing out the cinders as he sauntered back into his dorm.

He pulled off the black t-shirt and gray sweats, padding around in his underwear and a pair of socks as he changed. The act was a ritual, a ceremony. He pulled on his character-defining trench coat and moved into the bathroom, boots clunking on the floor. He always finished with the face paint.

Jack picked up the brush for the white, looking into the mirror with a grin. He paused, smile dropping, staring at his face. Without the eyepatch, there was something… off. Something wrong. He scowled, the scar mocking him, laughing, laughing, burning.

Rage ripped through his throat, and red filled his vision for several moments.

When it cleared, the mirror was broken, shard embedded into his fist. Jack looked down at his hand, flexing it, opening and closing it. Blood trickled down through his fingers, and he raised his hand to watch as it flowed down his arm. It was strangely entrancing, and it took the sound of the others making a ruckus to snap him out of it.

He wiped off the blood, pulling the glass shards out of his hand without so much as a flinch. Pulling his gloves back on, Jack reached for the white brush again, which had fallen into the sink, and looked into the shattered mirror.

* * *

There was a frantic knocking on Mikala's door that morning, and he groaned as he worked up the effort to roll out of bed. He yawned, reaching over and dragging a blanket with him.

He opened the door, barely registering the identity of the intruder as they barged into his room frantically.

"…Yuhei? What's wrong?" He mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

Yuhei opened his mouth, stopped, and shook his head frantically, hands moving in a habitual manner in an attempt to explain. Mikala recognized the gestures almost immediately, despite having not seen it for a good five years. Sign language.

 _What's wrong?_

It took him a moment, but the movements, the hand gestures, the facial expressions—they slowly began to come back to him. Yuhei responded to him almost immediately, seeming marginally relieved by the fact that he understood. Even then, his movements were sharp, frantic, which didn't help in matters of communication.

 _My hearing aids—They're gone._

He struggled to find the right words for a moment. _Hearing aids? Weren't they implanted surgically?_

 _Yes._ Yuhei stressed the word. _I don't know how, but they're gone._

Mikala grimaced, nodding as his thoughts went into overdrive. "R-Right. We should go see the others. They might be having similar experiences." He muttered, turning to his bedside table. The dark-haired teen paused, opening the drawer and dumping out its minimal contents before falling to his knees, searching the ground and under the bed. "I… It's gone." He muttered, hands still moving, though he wasn't really seeing where he was looking. "It's gone."

Yuhei rested a hand on his shoulder, speaking in a soft, hesitant manner in words that sounded just a little bit off. "We should go."

* * *

When Kasumi watched as the morning went into a panic, she turned to write it down, to keep a record, only to remember. Her diary wasn't there. All the empty ones she had packed, all the new ones… Her diaries were gone. Kasumi sighed, pulling out a pen. Her arm would have to do for now.

Only a few sentences had been written when Irja walked up to her, a few pieces of loose paper extended before her. "For you to write on. If you need any more, you're welcome to just ask." Kasumi nodded, Irja smiling genially, though tiredly. She had lost something as well.

"What have you lost?"

Irja sighed, sitting next to Kasumi on the daybed at the end of the dorm hall. "I keep a photo album. I put things precious to me inside of it. Family pictures, letters from friends, a few journal entries… Things like that." She let her hands play with her braids absently. "I won't have a panic attack or anything," she nodded before her at the chaos ensuing, "But I do miss having it. That album had a lot of… sentimental value to me."

Kasumi nodded, pushing herself up. "We should go to the dining room."

Irja caught on to her meaning quickly enough, nodding as she too stood. "Talking to the others may give us a clue. Let us get breakfast then."

* * *

They entered the dining room to see Celinel frantically flitting about their flock of birds, which all perched atop one of the tables. They were frantically trying to count each bird, calling out their names. "…Icarus? I… I can't find Icarus."

Vergil set a comforting hand on Celi's shoulder, and the Ultimate Conductor sighed, shoulders sagging. "We'll get him back." Celi nodded, sinking down into a chair.

"I, El Torbellino Dorado, will find this _ladrón_ and make sure they pay for this evil deed!" Ruiza was a somewhat strange sight. Her usual luchador mask had been replaced with her ski goggles, despite her still wearing her pajamas. Rie sat next to her, somewhat worried but otherwise no different.

Makoto entered the room, not sparing anyone so much as a glance as he began running around, throwing pillows and blankets off couches and chairs and lifting books and mugs off the tables.

"What are you looking for?" Mikala asked, looking slightly disgruntled as he was moved aside so the chair could be mutilated in the search. Makoto glared at him, digging through the area for a moment longer before throwing his hands up in frustration. "Hey, you're not the only one who's lost stuff this morning, so if you want help…"

"Please don't try and get friendly with me. Thanks in advance." Makoto snarked, but he stopped nonetheless, sinking down into a couch heavily.

He looked up, seeing Yuhei's hands move, and he raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "He's asking if you lost your necklace." Mikala translated, and Makoto nodded slowly, a bewildered look on his face. Yuhei sighed in what sounded like annoyance. "He lost his hearing aids."

"Oh."

Amelia entered the dining room from the kitchen doors, pushing through the swinging doors with a steaming mug in her hand. She raised her nose as she looked upon the somewhat chaotic room and its occupants.

"What exactly happened here?" She sat delicately on the edge of her seat, sipping at her mug.

"You don't know? A bunch of our stuff disappeared overnight." Ray replied, looking decidedly upset. "…Like my turntable."

"Not just stuff," Irja added, "But objects that hold significant value to us."

Jonathan grunted in agreement, seeming busy downing pasta. Amelia wrinkled her nose lightly in disgust. "You don't seem very upset by this turn of events."

He shrugged. "I lost a book." He took another bite, chewed, and swallowed. "If everyone lost something, then it can't be coincidence, meaning I'll see it again. And if I don't, I can replace it. The same can't be said for some of the others, though." He nodded in Celinel's direction for emphasis.

Jack popped into the room then, looking decidedly cheery. Everyone froze, staring at him for a moment. His eyepatch was gone, showing off an ugly scar that marred his face, visible even through the crude face paint.

"What…?"

Jack grinned, leaning a little too close to Irja. She wrinkled her nose, taking a step back. His breath smelled of cigarettes and drugs and alcohol. "What's wrong, sweetums? Am I that beautiful?" She slapped his hands away as he reached out or her, quickly escaping from his vicinity.

Before Jack could do much else, however, the speakers crackled, startling them.

"Attention, dear guests~!" Monokuma's voice sang through the building. "If everyone would please assemble in the **lobby** in an hour!"

Everyone looked at one another, apprehensive. The last time they'd all gathered in the lobby when Monokuma showed up…

Nonetheless, they all began to make their way slowly to the room. They sat in various groups and pairs around the room: Ruiza and Rie by the fireplace with Mikala; Kasumi, Ray and Celi closest to the window; Amelia and Irja in the middle of the room; and Makoto, Yuhei, Jonathan, and Vergil by the bookcases. Jack sat alone at the bar, swishing around a bottle of beer.

As soon as they were all seated comfortably, Monokuma popped up in the middle of the deck, right behind the fire pit. Kasumi, Ray, and Celinel—who were the closest to the window—got up and backed away as the others approached cautiously.

"What did you do, you _el oso del Diablo_!" Ruiza growled, fists clenching angrily.

Monokuma seemed unthreatened, even going so far as to giggle. "You guys were getting _so_ boring, so I thought it was time for a **new motive**!" He rubbed his paws together gleefully, his voice loud and clear through the speakers. "Now, ladies and bears, it is time for…" He paused dramatically, looking around at all of them. After seeming satisfied enough, the bear continued his spiel. "…The reveal of your new **motive**!" He raised his hands, smoke and fire rising dramatically from the fire pit before him.

When the theatrics died down, a pile of items were gathered next to the robotic mammal.

"What the hell?"

Monokuma snickered. "I have here a beary **precious item** that belongs to each of you. I'm sure some of you have already noticed~!" Ruiza and Yuhei had particularly fierce glares. The bear turned, rooting through the items for a moment. "Let's see… Ah, here we go!" He turned back around brandishing a journal in his hands.

"To start off with, we have the diary of the Ultimate Diary Keeper." He tossed the book to his other side, effectively starting a new pile as he grabbed something else.

"The turntable of the Ultimate DJ." The thing was larger than the bear seemed able to hold, yet he tossed it aside with ease. He continued in this manner, showing off each object and naming it before tossing it aside.

"The mask of the Ultimate Luchador…" Ruiza's mask glinted in the sunlight for moments before it was tossed into the growing pile.

"The iron ring of the Ultimate Cosmetologist…" He tossed the ring into the air before putting it aside, and Mikala shook out of whatever shock they had all been in, running to the door leading to the deck. Ruiza joined him, going for the other door leading outside. Both were locked.

"The necklace of the Ultimate Forensic Scientist…" The cat necklace dropped from his paws, swinging like a pendulum from its chain for a moment before falling.

"The photo album of the Ultimate Investigative Journalist…" Monokuma opened it briefly, flipping through the pages before tossing it into the air, where it landed open atop the other items.

"The locket of the Ultimate Circus Performer…" He swung it about before it flew out of his hands, missing the pile and landing on the ground. Rie screamed, pounding on the glass door and jiggling the handle in an attempt to open it.

"The notebook of the Ultimate Classical Composer…" It was a school journal, well-kept, and thrown carelessly into a pile.

"The eyepatch of the Ultimate Bad Luck…" Everyone glanced anxiously back at Jack—or more specifically, his eye—before turning back to Monokuma.

"The favorite book of the Ultimate Procrastinator…" He held up a large, somewhat worn novel of the Complete Series of Sherlock Holmes disinterestedly before tossing it aside.

"The hearing aids of the Ultimate Lip Reader…" He held up a jar this time, shaking it. While black and white paws covered the jar, something could be heard jiggling within. Yuhei gritted his teeth angrily, knuckles white.

"The ocarina of the Ultimate Friend…" He blew into it, a pretty sound, before shrugging and dropping it atop the other items.

"And last but not least…" He held it up by a wing. "Oohh, what's this?" Monokuma giggled. "I guess it didn't keep in the box very well." He laughed some more, swinging it around, and almost all of them were at the doors now, trying in vain to open them.

Monokuma tossed the bird, not on the pile, but behind him, and Celinel screamed.

* * *

 **El oso del Diablo – devil bear  
ladrón – thief**

 **Sorry that took so long. This chapter ended up pretty long though, xD so I suppose that's my apology. If you have any problems involving the motive, or if you had an idea/wanted to add something, just review or PM me. :3**

 **Kasumi Nikki, Ultimate Diary Keeper, female** **  
****Yuhei Kuza, Ultimate Lip Reader, male** Courtesy of Reapergenesis32 **  
** **Raymond "Ray" Bishop Stark, Ultimate DJ, male** Courtesy of Oscar – The Undead Brony **  
** **Ruiza Maria Andrade (El Torbellino Dorado), Ultimate Luchador, female** Courtesy of dashunterman **  
** **Rie Hayaikawa, Ultimate Circus Performer, female** Courtesy of SpectralTriangle **  
** **Amelia (Von) Ebers, Ultimate Classical Composer, female** Courtesy of TheLaughingStone **  
**Alex Nagamine, Ultimate Bookworm, male _Courtesy of Alex The God Killer_  
 **Jonathan Junmaru, Ultimate Procrastinator, male** Courtesy of Mechblade007 **  
** **Makoto Kudou, Ultimate Forensic Scientist, male** Courtesy of Starnightking **  
** **Irja Sari Kokkonen, Ultimate Investigative Journalist, female** Courtesy of Lupus Overkill **  
**Aimi Kimiko Chieko, Ultimate Acrobat, female _Courtesy of SatoIchinose_  
 **Mikala Kaimi Nuri, Ultimate Cosmetologist, male** **  
** **Vergil, Ultimate Friend, male** Courtesy of lVergil **  
** **Celinel Frischt, Ultimate Choir Conductor, polygender** Courtesy of my friend Frankie **  
** **John "Jack" Doe, Ultimate Bad Luck, male** Courtesy of RestinDarkness


	20. Act 2-5

**Act 2-5  
** _ **Falling Like Snowflakes**_

When Monokuma disappeared in a puff of smoke, everything else disappeared with him. The doors to the deck unlocked the moment he was gone, and several students ran outside, looking in vain around the area, but there was nothing left behind and no way to go after him.

"That bastard…!" Ray growled, barely even noting the change in temperature as he stomped back inside. His anger simmered down somewhat when he looked at Celinel. The Ultimate Choir Conductor had sank to the floor in shock, trembling violently as they hid their eyes behind their hands. Irja and Rie knelt by them in an attempt to offer comfort, though they looked pretty shaken themselves.

Kasumi looked around. Everyone had lost something, and they weren't even sure if they would get it back. And on top of that…

* * *

" _Welp~!" Monokuma snickered sinisterly. "That's it for now~!"_

 _Mikala swallowed. "…What do you mean, 'for now'?"_

 _Monokuma's one-sided grin seemed to grow along with his malice. "For every day that someone doesn't die, I'll be taking another precious item. One… by… one."_

* * *

If what he said was true, this wouldn't be over until someone died. Meaning someone had to kill another. Perhaps it was just a gut feeling, but she knew someone was going to die. So she had to case out the killer now, had to find all the clues that would no doubt lead up to everything.

Some of the items were much more important and vital to them compared to the others. It wasn't likely to be Jonathan, who'd lost only a book that could easily be replaced. The same could be said for herself, as she had more than one diary with her. But Yuhei had lost the very thing that allowed him to hear, and Ruiza's mask was of vital importance to her. Jack was already noticeably more irritable without his eyepatch, which—if his scar had anything to say about it—was rather obvious as to why. And of course, then there was Celinel.

But with the others, there was the question of the importance. A locket, a necklace, a ring, an album, an ocarina, and a turntable. They seemed like worthless little trinkets at first thought, but there was a reason Monokuma had confiscated them as precious items.

"Perhaps…" Everyone looked up at Makoto, who reached up towards his neck, only to pause and let his hand fall. He took a deep breath. "Perhaps we should tell each other about what we lost. The more we know, the likelier it is that we can prevent another…"

Amelia scowled at him. "Likelier? He said he'd take something else every day until someone dies. We don't know if we'll get those items back or if he'll stop after a few days."

"I have to go with Ebers on this one." Ray muttered somewhat begrudgingly.

"I think we should at least try out Kudou-san's suggestion." Kazumi had to speak louder than usual for everyone to notice and hear her. Yuhei spoke briefly with Mikala in sign language before voicing his agreement in a hesitant, off-tone voice.

Eventually, the opposition gave in, and they all gathered around the center grouping of sofas and chairs. Kasumi claimed one of the armchairs, Amelia sitting carefully on the other. Yuhei and Mikala sat on one of the sofas, with Jonathan sitting on the floor before it, his head leaning back tiredly on the cushions. Rie and Ruiza sandwiched Celinel on the other couch, Irja sitting on one of the arms. Ray, Makoto, and Vergil sat on pillows and the like on the floor. Even Jack kept within the vicinity, strangely silent as he leaned against the wall nearby.

"Who wants to start?"

Everyone was silent for a long time. Irja was the first to speak. "That photo album was filled with important memories for me. Journal entries, photos, letters, things like that. It's not much more than sentimental value; not enough for me to kill anyone."

"Same here." Ray spoke up next. "I can always get another turntable. It's not like that was the last one in the world."

Kasumi nodded. "I have more than one diary. What he took can be replaced if necessary."

"That notebook held my first composition." Amelia's posture straightened in what seemed to be pride. "I know that piece by heart, however, so it is of no consequence to me."

Jonathan sunk down a little farther, feet and legs sliding under the table. "The Complete Series of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It's my favorite book." He gave a half-hearted shrug.

"…My ocarina was made by a friend." Though they waited, Vergil didn't say anything more.

Makoto's hand reached for his neck again, stopping for a moment before reaching up and playing with his bangs. He fought off a yawn. "My little sister gave me that necklace for my birthday."

Rie's hand raised somewhat awkwardly, and it dropped as soon as everyone turned to her. "That locket…" She looked down, hands fidgeting in her lap. Ruiza reached across Celi and intertwined their fingers. Rie played with them as she spoke. "It holds some of my mother's ashes. I mean, I wouldn't kill anyone just to get it back. My mother's already gone, and she wouldn't have wanted that. It's just… I didn't bring it with me. I left it at home. At least, I thought I did."

At her words everyone paused. They all had that gap in their memory. They arrived at the Lodge, and then woke up inside. No one could remember what happened in between those two intervals. But it was probably something important.

"That _el oso del Diablo_ will pay for this." Ruiza's voice was not its usual dramatic spiel. Her tone was dark with true anger. If not for the somewhat out of place ski mask on her face, she would be extremely intimidating. "Stealing such important items, starting this _juego de la muerte_ , and now besmirching lucha libre…" She tensed, knuckles white, and it took Rie's comforting hands in hers to let the tension dissolve just a bit. But Ruiza didn't need to explain anything. They all knew from experience how important lucha libre and, conversely, her mask, was to the Mexican teen.

Celinel didn't speak either, and wasn't expected to. They had calmed a bit, but kept their head down, hands clenched in their lap. The remaining members of the bird choir were unusually quiet and still, not flapping about and resettling the way they usually did. It seemed they too were mourning their lost friend.

Yuhei spoke next. Well, signed rather than spoke, with Mikala acting as a translator. "Yuhei was born deaf, and his hearing aids were created and implanted by his father." He explained curtly. "He can still understand everyone, being the Ultimate Lip Reader, just perhaps not as well, and when he speaks it may sound off. We've been talking in sign language for the time being, but seeing as I'm the only other person who knows it…" He shrugged.

Irja raised an eyebrow, no doubt noticing the change in which he referred to him, but didn't say anything about it.

"And what about you?" Mikala shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"It, uh… My ex-girlfriend gave me that ring." He muttered, looking down.

"I thought you were gay?" Rie asked. Mikala flinched, even though she wasn't been trying to be mean.

"That was before I… figured that out. She's like a sister to me." He glanced at Yuhei. "That's how I know sign language. She was deaf as well."

The last explanation to be given… Everyone turned to Jack somewhat apprehensively.

"You don't need to say anything if you don't want to." Irja tried giving him a friendly smile, though it withered quickly under his glare. Jack smiled, and Celinel curled even farther into themselves.

"Thanks, I appreciate your hypocrisy and pity~!" He spoke in a sing-song voice, but there was this underlying malice in his tone that set everyone on edge. "To think I once thought your exploitable heart so full of _hope_." That snarl twisted his features into an ugly, hate-filled expression. Even more so, it expressed his **despair**. There suddenly seemed so much more to Jack than petty cruelty.

"What happened to you? What made you this way?" The questions came out of her mouth before she knew it, and everyone froze as Jack flew at the journalist, pausing with a knife hovering just above her right eye.

"Do you want to find out?" His voice was dark, husky with a sort of spine-chilling delight. Irja's wide eyes must have expressed something, because he drew back, laughing hysterically.

No one said anything as he left the area, his cackling echoing down the corridor. Kasumi wasn't sure who the killer would be, but one thing was for sure. Sooner or later, someone was going to try to kill Jack.

* * *

 **Sorry for the long wait. :P I got a new job and then I went on a trip with no electronics or working toilets or meat. (Funny how you don't even notice that until you come back. Seriously, I've eaten so much chicken this week after not having it for so long.) Also, with that last chapter, I kinda dug myself into a hole. I mean, I know who I'm going to kill, and who will kill them, and obviously we have a motive now, but how to do it? This chapter is a little short for that reason.  
If you have any suggestions for events—Free Time or otherwise—or just a death you'd like to see (I really don't have much planned for those), just review or PM me. :) I'm always up for suggestions!**

 **Kasumi Nikki, Ultimate Diary Keeper, female** **  
****Yuhei Kuza, Ultimate Lip Reader, male** Courtesy of Reapergenesis32 **  
** **Raymond "Ray" Bishop Stark, Ultimate DJ, male** Courtesy of Oscar – The Undead Brony **  
** **Ruiza Maria Andrade (El Torbellino Dorado), Ultimate Luchador, female** Courtesy of dashunterman **  
** **Rie Hayaikawa, Ultimate Circus Performer, female** Courtesy of SpectralTriangle **  
** **Amelia (Von) Ebers, Ultimate Classical Composer, female** Courtesy of TheLaughingStone **  
**Alex Nagamine, Ultimate Bookworm, male _Courtesy of Alex The God Killer_  
 **Jonathan Junmaru, Ultimate Procrastinator, male** Courtesy of Mechblade007 **  
** **Makoto Kudou, Ultimate Forensic Scientist, male** Courtesy of Starnightking **  
** **Irja Sari Kokkonen, Ultimate Investigative Journalist, female** Courtesy of Lupus Overkill **  
**Aimi Kimiko Chieko, Ultimate Acrobat, female _Courtesy of SatoIchinose_  
 **Mikala Kaimi Nuri, Ultimate Cosmetologist, male** **  
** **Vergil, Ultimate Friend, male** Courtesy of lVergil **  
** **Celinel Frischt, Ultimate Choir Conductor, polygender** Courtesy of my friend Frankie **  
** **John "Jack" Doe, Ultimate Bad Luck, male** Courtesy of RestinDarkness


End file.
